The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 29, 2026

Black ink brushed on vertically oriented tan paper features flowing Persian calligraphy. The top section is divided horizontally by a thin blue line, separating two rectangular boxes from the lower text. Strokes of black script stretch across the page, punctuated by small red marks. A thin gold and red border frames the paper, which maintains a structured rhythm across the aged, textured surface.

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

c. 1560
(reigned 1556–1605)
Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.)
Location: Not on view
  • ?–1959
    Estate of Breckinridge Long [1881–1958], Bowie, MD
    1959–1962?
    (Harry Burke Antiques, Philadelphia, PA)
    1959?–1962
    (Bernard Brown Agency, Milwaukee, WI, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Purchased with funds from Mrs. A. Dean [Helen Wade Greene] Perry)
    1962–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Samuel Miller Breckinridge Long (May 16, 1881–September 26, 1958) was an American diplomat and politician, who served in the administrations of Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Long is largely remembered for his obstructionist role as the Assistant Secretary of State responsible for granting refugee visas during World War II. His interests included the collection of antiques, paintings and American ship models. He maintained a stable of Thoroughbred race horses and was a director of the Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland, and he enjoyed fox hunting, fishing, and sailing.
  • {{cite web|title=Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page|url=false|author=|year=c. 1560|access-date=29 October 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.279.88.a