The old man eats of the fruit of the Tree of Life, but drops dead, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Ninth Night

The interior architecture is rendered with bold red and gold wall surfaces, intricate geometric floor patterns, and a gilded canopy over the throne.

Executed in the Persian miniature tradition, the painting employs opaque water‑based pigments and gold leaf on a paper support. The interior architecture is rendered with bold red and gold wall surfaces, intricate geometric floor patterns, and a gilded canopy over the throne. Figures are stylized with elongated limbs, flat color fields, and decorative detailing characteristic of 16th‑century Safavid court art.

The miniature originates from a manuscript of the *Tuti‑nama* produced in Iran during the Safavid period, likely in the early 1500s. It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in the mid‑20th century through a private acquisition, where it has been catalogued as part of the museum’s Islamic art holdings.

The *Tuti‑nama* is a collection of moral tales that circulated widely in the Persianate world, often illustrated for elite patrons. This scene reflects the broader cultural emphasis on allegorical storytelling and the use of lavish visual programs to accompany literary texts in courtly manuscripts.

As an example of Safavid miniature painting, the work contributes to scholarly understanding of narrative illustration, pigment use, and the transmission of moral literature across the Islamic world. It continues to be referenced in studies of Persian manuscript art and displayed in exhibitions exploring the interplay of text and image.