Tête d'animal satirique

A large animal head in profile: open-mouthed, showing rows of pointed teeth, with a curling tongue, a single round eye, a long snout, and whisker-like tendrils hanging from the jaw. The form is rendered entirely in black ink on cream paper, drawn in confident, heavy brushstrokes. The creature is unidentifiable — part dragon, part wolf, part grotesque — and belongs to the tradition of satirical animal heads found in medieval manuscripts and Romanesque architectural carvings. Derain collected medieval and tribal art and drew on both traditions freely in his decorative work.