Artwork Page for Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page

Details / Information for Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page

Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page

c. 1560

Mughal India, court of Akbar

(reigned 1556–1605)
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Medium
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Measurements
Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.96.a
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

The text of this manuscript is written in the Persian language using a clear form of the Arabic script called naskh. On this page the parrot is feigning concern that Khujasta's lover might not be as highborn as he claims to be. The prose is interrupted with lines of verse written in the gold-outlined boxes and introduced in blue with the word qat'e, meaning cut, as though the verse is cutting into the story.
A vertically oriented manuscript page features horizontal bands of black Nasta'liq script on tan paper framed by thin gold and red lines. The text is arranged in both two-column layouts and full-width lines. A prominent stroke of bright blue ink accents the center. The characters are elegant and fluid, varying in thickness. Dark moisture stains mark the bottom edge of the page, which shows visible signs of aging.

Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page

c. 1560

Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

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