Dragon in foliage with lion and phoenix heads
1504
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1504
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This painting shows a fierce dragon lunging at a glowing pearl held in its claws. Two flowering branches twist around it—one ending in a lion chewing the dragon’s neck, the other in a phoenix fighting for the pearl. The scene mixes danger and magic, with Quranic words on the pearl. Sahkulu worked in Istanbul’s Ottoman painting school, blending Persian style with local tastes. He trained artists who later shaped Mughal art in India. The details are wild but precise—like the dragon’s scales catching light. This is Ottoman fantasy at its best. Find more like it at The Cleveland Museum of Art.
