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Lot Essay
This miniature is closely comparable to another in the Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam signed by Keshav Das (inv.MAK.521). That painting, whilst depicting just one elephant and mahout, does so with the same arrangement as the near elephant in our miniature. Both face to the left of the field with a tree behind and both elephants even have their back right leg contorted to be in front of their back left. The addition of the second elephant, whilst a variant of the Rijkmuseum miniature, suggests Keshav Das’ involvement through the unusual forward-leaning pose of the right-hand mahout. Such a pose recalls contemporary European portraiture found in prints, of which the Emperors Akbar and Jahangir were known to be fond. Keshav Das is recognised as being one of the preeminent interpreters of European portraiture in the imperial Mughal tradition (Amina Okada, in Milo C. Beach et al., Masters of Indian Painting: 1100-1650, Artibus Asiae Publishing, Supplementum 48 I/II, 2011, pp.159-166.) and his treatment of the figure of the second mahout is consistent with the artist’s innovative approaches.
Keshav Das, ranked by Abu’l Fazl in his 'Ain-I Akbari as fifth out of seventeen artists in the royal atelier, had a long career beginning around 1570 and continuing until circa 1604. For the majority of this time he was employed in the royal atelier of Emperor Akbar (r.1556-1605), but he is thought to have later joined the rebellious Prince Salim – the later Emperor Jahangir – at his court in Allahabad between 1599 and 1604. His work is found on several major manuscripts of the Akbar period, including the British Library Darabnama, the Jaipur Razmnama, the Bankipore Timurnama and the Victoria & Albert Museum Akbarnama. For a greater discussion of Keshav Das and his career see Okada op. cit., pp.153-166.
The Emperor Akbar was known to be very fond of elephants, therefore portrayals of the animal in imperial miniatures produced during his rule take on a special significance. The three copies of the Akbarnama commissioned by the Emperor, which mark the highest standard of imperial painting, include numerous paintings of elephants. A detail showing an elephant and his mahout, from a miniature now in the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore (inv. W.684), taken from a copy of the Akbarnama which is now divided primarily between the British Library and Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, is a prime example of the highest pictorial standard from the period. However, what makes our painting notable is that the elephants are the main subject of the image, rather than being one of many components in a busier scene like those found in the illustrations of the Akbarnama. This places our miniature as part of a select group of three elephant studies to have survived from Akbar’s rule. One of the other two is the study of the single elephant by Keshav Das mentioned above and the other image, depicting Akbar training an elephant, is in the Museun für Islamische Kunst, Berlin (inv.I.4598 fol.2v).
Keshav Das, ranked by Abu’l Fazl in his 'Ain-I Akbari as fifth out of seventeen artists in the royal atelier, had a long career beginning around 1570 and continuing until circa 1604. For the majority of this time he was employed in the royal atelier of Emperor Akbar (r.1556-1605), but he is thought to have later joined the rebellious Prince Salim – the later Emperor Jahangir – at his court in Allahabad between 1599 and 1604. His work is found on several major manuscripts of the Akbar period, including the British Library Darabnama, the Jaipur Razmnama, the Bankipore Timurnama and the Victoria & Albert Museum Akbarnama. For a greater discussion of Keshav Das and his career see Okada op. cit., pp.153-166.
The Emperor Akbar was known to be very fond of elephants, therefore portrayals of the animal in imperial miniatures produced during his rule take on a special significance. The three copies of the Akbarnama commissioned by the Emperor, which mark the highest standard of imperial painting, include numerous paintings of elephants. A detail showing an elephant and his mahout, from a miniature now in the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore (inv. W.684), taken from a copy of the Akbarnama which is now divided primarily between the British Library and Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, is a prime example of the highest pictorial standard from the period. However, what makes our painting notable is that the elephants are the main subject of the image, rather than being one of many components in a busier scene like those found in the illustrations of the Akbarnama. This places our miniature as part of a select group of three elephant studies to have survived from Akbar’s rule. One of the other two is the study of the single elephant by Keshav Das mentioned above and the other image, depicting Akbar training an elephant, is in the Museun für Islamische Kunst, Berlin (inv.I.4598 fol.2v).