Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Chilins (Chinese Chimerical Creatures) Fighting with a Dragon

16th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 460
While the creatures seen here are of Chinese origin, combat scenes in this vein reached Turkey from Iran only in the sixteenth century. Drawings in wash colors with the contrasting use of black, and rhythmic, calligraphic line were a particular Turkish development of the subject.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Chilins (Chinese Chimerical Creatures) Fighting with a Dragon
  • Date: 16th century
  • Geography: Attributed to Turkey, Istanbul
  • Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Painting: H. 6 1/16 in. (15.4 cm)
    W. 10 3/16 in. (25.9 cm)
    Mat: H. 16 in. (40.6 cm)
    W. 22 in. (55.9 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1955
  • Object Number: 55.121.35
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
Tughra (Insignia) of Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–66), Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Tughra (Insignia) of Sultan Süleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–66)
ca. 1555–60
Folio from a Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar (The Free Man's Companion to the Subtleties of Poems) of Jajarmi, Muhammad ibn Badr al-Din Jajarmi Iranian, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Folio from a Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar (The Free Man's Companion to the Subtleties of Poems) of Jajarmi
Author Muhammad ibn Badr al-Din Jajarmi
dated 741 AH/1340–41 CE
Tile with Floral and Cloud-band Design, Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze
Tile with Floral and Cloud-band Design
ca. 1578
"The Angel Gabriel meets 'Amr ibn Zaid (the Shepherd)", Folio from a Siyer-i Nebi (the Life of the Prophet), Mustafa ibn Vali, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"The Angel Gabriel meets 'Amr ibn Zaid (the Shepherd)", Folio from a Siyer-i Nebi (the Life of the Prophet)
Painting by Mustafa ibn Vali
Patron Commissioned by Sultan Murad III
Author Mustafa b. Yusuf al-Darir al-Erzerumi
ca. 1595
"The Feast of Sada", Folio 22v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"The Feast of Sada", Folio 22v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Author Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Painting attributed to Sultan Muhammad
ca. 1525

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries and chronologies from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.