mucholderthen:

CHINESE IMPORTS IN OTTOMAN ART

Lion and Qilin, Dragon and Bird
with floral background

Mid-16th century / Ottoman period
Ink, color and gold on paper
Turkey

Animals in ferocious combat are a recurring theme in sixteenth-century Ottoman art.

In this remarkable drawing, a lion devours a Qilin, an animal of  Chinese legend, while a dragon is about to swallow a frightened bird perched helplessly on its tongue.

• Although the ch’i-lin and dragon were inspired by Chinese models, the depiction of these animals as fearsome,
• battling creatures is alien to Chinese art and is more characteristic of Ottoman and Persian pictorial language.
• The composition is noteworthy for its use of undulating lines, which lend tremendous energy and vitality.

(Smithsonian Museums of Asian Art)
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Qilin (麒麟) refers to a chimerical creature known throughout East Asia, often depicted with what looks like fire all over its body. Europeans thought of it as the Chinese version of a unicorn.