1-155-359 - Art Media/Heritage Images

Dog-headed men, late 13th century, (early 15th century). Mythical dog-headed men from the Isle of Agaman, Gulf of Bengal. Marco Polo (1254-1324) Venetian traveller and merchant, left Venice with his father and uncle in 1271. Seventeen years later he returned with tales of his experiences, particularly at the court and in the service of Kublai Khan (1214-1294), Great Khan of the Moguls and Emperor of China. Some aspects of his account, such as the dog-headed men, were less reliable than others. Miniature from Le Livre des Merveilles de Marco Polo (Book of Marvels of Marco Polo), illuminated manuscript in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris.