I love this little guy. He comes from a ceramic plate (Fatimid Period, 11th century C.E.) found at the Islamic Ceramic Museum in Cairo.* Is it me, or is it sort of refreshing to see a semi-ferocious, sinister animal that may or may not bite your hand off, as opposed to the ubiquitous baby deer/owl/sparrow motif that is now dying a slow death? If I were the kind of (excellent, industrious) person who made stamps, I'd make one of this image and stamp the crap out of everything.
*If you're interested in Islamic art and decorative ceramics, look through the museum's collection. I almost fainted from beauty overload.
Image from Cesras' photostream.
