Four Captive Demons

Unknown

1470–1500 · Watercolor and gold on silk · Islamic Art

This exceptional painting on silk portrays four demonlike figures rendered in exacting, fantastic detail. A series of similar paintings have been preserved within albums in Istanbul's Topkapi Palace Library. Some of these display inscriptions, attributing the works to an artist called "Muhammad Siyah Qalam." While much of the material found in these albums may be attributable to late fifteenth-century Iran, the use of silk as a support for painting was rare in the region, suggesting these enigmatic paintings were produced elsewhere.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1470–1500

Medium

Watercolor and gold on silk

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1968