The Dreams of Mana-Yood-Sushai – Sidney Sime for Dunsany's Gods of Pegāna

A star-crowned sleeping god fills the frame, his dark beard dusted with constellations, while from his dreaming mind burst dozens of luminous spheres — each containing a miniature world, city, or writhing life-form. Below, a tiny wild-haired drummer beats ceaselessly at lotus-bowls amid swirling clouds, keeping Mana-Yood-Sushai asleep lest his waking end all creation. The composition blends cosmic mythology with proto-science-fiction wonder, executed in delicate pen-and-ink with masterful tonal shading.