Cleveland Museum of Art

Demon in chains

Date

c. 1453

Medium

opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Culture

Iran or Central Asia, Timurid or Turkoman Period

Department

Islamic Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This page once belonged to a miscellany from the library of the early Ottonian sultans. It depicts two people in nomadic garb leading a demon, or Persian div , in chains between them. The female figure holding the chain to her face is painted to look nearly as ferocious as the captured div. The concept of divs as evil supernatural creatures of mysterious origin dates to pre-Islamic Persia, but they are also described in the text of the Qur'an. Divs in Persian literature and folktales are sometimes captured and forced to use their magic to serve a king or hero.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.