ticketsMember | Make a donation

Two Camels Fighting

late 16th–early 17th century
Not on view
The depiction of two camels fighting has a long history in Iranian art, stretching back to pre-Islamic times, and was popular in Persian and Mughal painting from the late fifteenth century onward. In this drawing, a man in a cap with a large feather tries to separate one camel from the other. Both camels are draped with ornate saddle blankets, one of which is decorated with two simurghs, phoenix-like birds, in clouds and the other with an elephant and its keeper and a falconer in a landscape. The tiny heads of two men are visible in the rocks as if they have just happened upon this scene.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Two Camels Fighting
  • Date: late 16th–early 17th century
  • Geography: Attributed to Iran
  • Medium: Ink, watercolor, and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Painting:
    H. 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm)
    W. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm)
    Page:
    H. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
    W. 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm)
    Mat:
    H. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
    W. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Bequest of George D. Pratt, 1935
  • Object Number: 45.174.20
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript, Ink, gold, and watercolor on paper
Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript
dated 531 AH/1137 CE
"Jonah and the Whale", Folio Probably from a Jami al-Tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles), Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper
"Jonah and the Whale", Folio Probably from a Jami al-Tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles)
ca. 1400
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
Muhammad ibn Badr al-Din Jajarmi
dated 741 AH/1340–41 CE
"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
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Sultan Muhammad
ca. 1525
"Isfandiyar's Third Course: He Slays a Dragon", Folio 434v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, Abu'l Qasim Firdausi Iranian, Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper
"Isfandiyar's Third Course: He Slays a Dragon", Folio 434v from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Abu'l Qasim Firdausi
Qasim ibn 'Ali
ca. 1530

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

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 complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.