More Oriental Rug Notes by Barry O'Connell

Dragon, Ibex, and Lion with a Man, Isfahan Persia Early 17th Century

Country of Origin: Isfahan Persia

Date of Origin Circa 1632

Use:

JBOC Comments: This is attributed to Reza-i-Abbasi but I think Sotheby's prudent to leave open the door to another artist. While superb in some areas it is not consistantly to the style of Reza-i-Abbasi. If this attribution is correct then this is from the final years of his work.

Auction Catalogue Description:

ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD

Sale L04220 lot 40
A LION RUSHING TO ATTACK A DRAGON WHICH HAS OVERPOWERED AN IBEX, THE DRAGON TURNING TO BITE THE LION, THE INCIDENT OBSERVED FROM THE ROCKY HORIZON BY A BEARDED MAN, ATTRIBUTED TO RIZA-I ABBASI, PERSIA, ISFAHAN, A.H. 1041/A.D. 1632
London, New Bond Street 3,000—5,000 GBP Session 1
28 Apr 04 10:30 AM
measurements note
12.2 by 10.6cm.
ink drawing on paper with a little colour and grey wash, an inscription dated Shawwal 1041 naming Riza-i Abbasi as the artist, seal impression at bottom right corner, laid down on an album leaf
PROVENANCE
Sold in these rooms 26th April 1995, lot 91

Seen on www.Sothebys.com

CATALOGUE NOTE
Although this drawing does not match the quality of other pictures by Riza-i, the style and composition are close to his work. It is likely to have been executed by one of Riza-i's contemporaries in his honour.

With the assimilation of Chinese art forms into Persian art during the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the dragon become fully integrated into the Persian artistic vocabulary and can be seen rendered on various media. At this time the dragon assaulting the lion is thought to have been symbolic of a solar eclipse, with the lion metaphorical of the sun.

The motif was to become a popular one in the 17th century, when the impact of the simple line drawing was rediscovered. With the rise of the Shiite Safavids the lion came to represent Ali 'the lion of God'. Rendered by the great artists of the time, Rizai Abbasi, Sadiqi Beg, Muin and Mussawir; the dragon and lion alone are more regularly seen locked in combat with one another, their timeless struggle captured on paper in a cyclical motif.