A Hero in Combat with a Dragon

Artists

Description

This drawing portrays an idealized Safavid warrior mounted on a horse, engaged in combat with a dragon. The dragon is wrapped around the horse’s body, while its head is pulled down by the Iranian hero. Holding his arm up in the air, the man is about to stab the monster with a dagger while his horse bites the tail of the spotted creature. Moreover, the hero is depicted with a bow, arrows, and a quiver, and he wears a Safavid-style turban. The artist painted all three creatures with great sense of movement and vitality, creating a playful composition of patterns and bodies.

Dimensions

32 x 20.6 cm (12 5/8 x 8 1/8 in.)

Provenance

Stuart Cary Welch, Jr., Warner, New Hampshire (by 1999-2008), by inheritance; to Edith I. Welch, Warner, New Hampshire (2008-2011), gift; to Harvard Art Museums 2011.