Ottoman Turkey, Istanbul / mid-1500s
Dragon in foliage with lion and phoenix heads
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Dragon in foliage with lion and phoenix heads as drawing (Ottoman Turkey, Istanbul · mid-1500s).
The lion head and phoenix head are part of the foliage, like fantastical blossoms.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this drawing as Ink, gum tempera, and gold on paper and credits Sahkulu (Turkish, active 1526–56).
The museum's collection notes: A dragon lunges toward a pearl in the form of a seal inscribed with a verse from the Koran: “And I commit my case unto God” (40:44). In his front claw, the dragon grasps two flowering branches that magically produce a variety of blooms, including a lion that bites the dragon’s neck and a phoenix, who competes for the pearl. Sahkulu was trained by Persian artists, as were many artists of Mughal India during the 1500s. He joined the Ottoman imperial painting atelier in Istanbul in 1526 and became the head in 1545.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtDragon in foliage with lion and phoenix headsOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.