"There is in India a wild beast, powerful, daring, as big as the largest lion, of a red colour like cinnabar, shaggy like a dog, and in the language of India it is called Martikhoras (Manticore) [Persian mardkhora‘man-slayer’]. Its face however is not that of a wild beast but of a man, and it has three rows of teeth set in its upper jaw and three in the lower; these are exceedingly sharp and larger than the fangs of a hound. Its ears also resemble a man's except that they are larger and shaggy; its eyes are blue-grey and they too are like a man's, but its feet and claws, you must know, are those of a lion. To the end of its tail is attached the sting of a scorpion, and this might be over a cubit in length; and the tail has stings at intervals on either side. But the tip of the tail gives a fatal sting to anyone who encounters it, and death is immediate." Aelian, On Animals 4. 21

This woodcut is from the first edition of 18 signed and numbered prints. It was printed with archival oil based ink on cream colored cotton rag paper. Image size 4 x 6". The paper itself measures about 6 x 8", though I've matted the print acid-free 8 x 10" mats. If you wish to frame the piece differently, you can easily slip the print out of the mounting corners and display it as you wish.

Ships polybagged and flat in a rigid mailer with a certificate bearing the edition details.