The Manticore at the Labyrinth’s Edge by Gregory Dalton (Original Drawing)

‘The Manticore at the Labyrinth’s Edge’ was made for a gallery show at Glasslands Gallery in New York. The manticore comes from Persian tradition, and its name means “man-eater.” Ancient accounts describe a creature with a human face, a lion’s body, three rows of teeth, and a tail armed with poisonous spines. Its voice was said to resemble a mixture of pipes and trumpet. That combination of recognizable human features and predatory anatomy gives the creature its particular unease: something familiar looks back from a body that threatens to consume us.

This work takes liberties with that anatomy, giving the manticore a lion-like face and an upright, partly human body. It stands among flowering plants beside a labyrinth crowded with passages and enclosed spaces. Its stillness leaves its intentions unresolved. It could be guarding the entrance, waiting for someone to emerge, or considering its own return.

Ink establishes this density through fine contours, hatching, and concentrated areas of black. Watercolor fills the drawn spaces with muted pinks, greens, blues, and earth tones while leaving the linework visible. The same close attention carries into the manticore’s mane and the branching plants beside it. Across the open paper, the creature and its labyrinth remain separate, connected by a story whose beginning and ending are left unstated.

Additional close up detail images are available upon request. Please contact me directly to discuss shipping options and costs.