Double-Headed Eagle

Acrylic, watercolor & gold on hand-painted paper, 45 x 110 cm, Artist’s Collection

The subject of this painting is the double-headed eagle, a symbol of power used by numerous Turko-Islamic states in Anatolia, including the Seljuks. Originating in ancient Mesopotamia, it has been used by a variety of civilizations, including ancient Greece, Islamic Spain, the Mamluks of Egypt, Serbia, Russia, and perhaps most notably, by the Byzantine Empire to represent its dominion over both the East and West.