“IN CELEBRATION OF #ELEPHANTS ”
Mewar, Rajasthan, India, c.1705-15
Opaque pigments heightened with silver on paper
9 ¼ x 17 ¼ in. (23.4 x 44.1 cm)
“The present painting is remarkable in its extraordinary celebration of the elephant in its natural habitat. There is not a human to be seen.”
https://www.christies.com.cn/en/lot/lot-6443947
#IndianArt
![“The present painting is remarkable in its extraordinary celebration of the elephant in its natural habitat. There is not a human to be seen. There is clearly an intention to illustrate all aspects of elephantine behaviour, from conception in the top left corner to extreme old age, literally on the ‘other side’ lower right. But this is not depicted as an inevitable process; in between elephants are gambolling, play-fighting (there is no blood drawn), rubbing against trees, spraying each other, marching, swimming, and enjoying almost every other activity one can think of. Right in the centre, small but inevitably drawing one’s eye in, is an elephant with head raised using its trunk to create a fountain, a scene of pure adolescent joy.” IN CELEBRATION OF ELEPHANTS MEWAR, RAJASTHAN, INDIA, CIRCA 1705-15 Opaque pigments heightened with silver on paper, set within narrow gold borders with black rules, the margins red with brief devanagari inscription at the top, the verso plain with further devanagari inscriptions Painting 9 ¼ x 17 ¼in. (23.4 x 44.1cm.); folio 10 ¼ x 18 3⁄8in. (26.1 x 46.9cm.) INSCRIPTIONS: Smudged inscription in upper margin part deciphered as referring to the group of elephants. The verso inscribed Mahārāṇā Saṅgrāma Siṅgha-jī 'Maharana Sangram Singh [II]'; Mewar inventory number 13/316 and valued at 50[?] rupees.](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/664/816/860/789/602/small/5e949097b237f9ce.png)












