Falcons, Dragons and Other Creatures

A falcon perched on a rock holds the center of this drawing; the raptor is flanked by two dragon heads that face rightward; at the top of the page, a lion lopes to the left; and heads, snouts, and feet from unidentified animals populate the interstitial space. The seemingly random assembly of figures on this page suggests that it was a study sheet, an observation supported by the circular squiggle below the lion’s hind legs that was made by an artist pointing the brush or adjusting the amount of ink it carried. In this drawing the artist seems to have been rehearsing compositional elements in the finely articulated, calligraphic line that became popular in Safavid Iran.