Dragon Figures in Anatolian Seljuk Art

Year 1969, Volume: 33 Issue: 130, 193 - 216, 20.04.1969

Gönül Öney

Abstract

Dragons, the typical animals of the Far East and the Chinese Art appear in Seljuk Art with a different style and with different symbols. Dragon figures are used extensively in Anatolian Seljuk Art, especially in stone and plaster reliefs. It is interesting to note that dragons are generally depicted in pairs, that they are shown at the end of the tails of lions and sphinxes or at the wing tips of doubleheaded eagles and that sometimes they are combined with human heads, bull's head or the life tree motif. Dragons used as calendar animals or as planet symbol form a more complex group. A common typical characteristic of Seljuk dragon reliefs is the exaggerated length of the bodies in knotted form and the presence of a head at each end. In some examples the double head is replaced by two dragons facing each other. The Seljuk dragons all have heads with common features such as pointed ears, large almond eyes, open mouth and chins which extend in a helical twist. Pointed teeth and a forked tongue protrude from the open moutlı. The actual head is the one not biting the body. Here a pair of feet and a wing are observed. The wing is connected to the body at the bottom where the legs are outlined with strong lines and the upper part of the wing ends in a volute. In some dragons a similar bordering line is observed at the back of the head ending in a volute. Seljuk dragons are found sometimes on arabesque and sometimes on plain background. However, in all reliefs they are shown in full profile.

Keywords

Anatolian Seljuks, Seljuk Art, Dragon Figures, Architecture, Stone Relief, Plaster Relief, Animal Motif