Albums

Sea Serpent (al-Tannin)

15th century

Description

Barely contained within a thinly-painted gold border is a large serpentine figure. Its coiling, sinuous, gray body is covered in small and large circular scales, and its back features a gold spine that resembles flickering flames. It has a moon-shaped face with large red eyes. The face is surrounded by six dragon-like heads with long, thin, curving necks. These heads have large red eyes, long snouts, and gaping mouths with protruding red tongues. The two heads that encircle the moon face rest on top of it with their snouts touching each other. The image is framed by paper borders in dark and light blue, and is mounted into an album page that is tan in color with silver flecks. Immediately to the right of the serpent are traces of Arabic writing in black ink and naskh script. The text runs vertically in the present configuration, implying that the serpent would have been oriented horizontally in its original context within a manuscript.

Classification

Albums

Technique

Aquatint and drypoint

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Period

Aq Qoyunlu period

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art

Dimensions

31.8 x 20.3 cm (12 1/2 x 8 in.)

Provenance

Possibly Sir Bernard Eckstein, his sale; [Sotheby's, London, 7 February 1949, lot 14]. [Sotheby's, London, 11 April 1961], sold; to Edwin Binney, 3rd, 1961, bequest; to Harvard Art Museums. NOTE: Stored at the San Diego Museum of Art from some time before 1986 until 1991, then at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 1991-2011.

Related Artworks

Albums

A Youth under a Canopy, folio from a manuscript

Unknown Artist, 20th century

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

20th centuryPersian

Albums

Courtier on Horseback, folio from an album

Unknown Artist, 17th century

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

17th centuryPersian

Albums

Equestrian Portrait of Raja Karan Singh of Bikaner

Unknown Artist, second half of the 17th century

Black ink on beige paper

17th centuryIndian

Albums

Calligraphy, Verses by Nizami Surrounded by Expressions of Self-reflection (recto); Drawing, Dragon in Foliage (verso)

Sultan Muhammad Khandan, 15th century

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

15th centuryPersian

Albums

Lovers Embracing, folio from an album

Unknown Artist, c. 1650

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

17th centuryPersian

Albums

A Notch Girl and her Bird; from an Album entitled “Costumes of India”

Lucknow Company School, c. 1800

Opaque watercolor on paper

19th centuryIndian

Albums

Lady Holding a Golden Dish

Unknown Artist, 16th-17th century

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

16th-17th centuryOttoman

Albums

Quotations from the Hadikat al-Hakika of Sana'i, folio from an album

`Ali Riza 'Abbasi, 17th century

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

17th centuryPersian

Albums

Majnun in the Wilderness, folio from an album

Ruhani, 20th century

Ink and opaque watercolor on paper

20th centuryPersian

Albums

Rose and Nightingale

Unknown Artist, early 19th century

Watercolor on paper

19th centuryPersian

Albums

Portrait of a Nobleman

Manohar, c. 1610-1620

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

17th centuryIndian

Albums

Folio 51 from an Album of Drawings and Paintings: Portrait of a dervish (recto); Sacrifice of Isaac (verso)

Unknown Artist, 19th century

Graphite on off-white paper mounted overall to secondary support (album page) with green paper border (recto); Relief print and watercolor on off-white wove paper (verso)

19th centuryPersian