Animals in ferocious combat are a recurring theme in sixteenth-century Ottoman art. In this remarkable drawing, a lion devours a ch'i-lin, a Chinese mythical animal, while a dragon is about to swallow a frightened bird perched helplessly on its tongue. Although the ch'i-lin and dragon were inspired by Chinese models, the depiction of these animals as fearsome, battling creatures is alien to Chinese art and is more characteristic of Ottoman and Persian pictorial language.
The composition is noteworthy for its use of undulating lines, which lend tremendous energy and vitality to the contorted bodies of the animals and the scrolling floral vine. This particular style of drawing, one of the most impressive achievements of sixteenth-century Ottoman art, also adapted to ceramic and tile designs.
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)
Turkish Ceramics (September 24, 1982 to May 10, 1985)
Turkish Art (November 1, 1980 to May 25, 1982)
Turkish Art—Special Exhibition (August 1 to December 19, 1973)
Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Pottery (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)
Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, Pottery, Metalwork, and Glass (April 12, 1955 to November 21, 1955)
Special Exhibition, Near Eastern Art (September 15, 1953 to February 9, 1954)
Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Arts, 1947 (October 6, 1947 to February 25, 1956)
Islamic Art (November 3, 1944 to February 4, 1945)
