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拍品专文
Probably excuted circa 1895, this lofty, magnificent painting is among Edwin Lord Weeks' finest Indian works. The primary elements are simple, yet extremely dramatic; a great painted elephant, in royal raiments, and the monumental stairway and gate of the Jami Masjid, or Great Mosque, of Mathura, known in Weeks' time as 'Muttra'. Here, an elaborate, tile-encrusted red sandstone facade stands as the backdrop for Weeks' presentation of one of the principal icons of Rajput India-a royal elephant, replete with brilliant red robes, carrying its mahout, and crowned with its gilt howdah.
Yet, in Weeks' hands, the painting still serves as a depiction of everyday life, underscored by the makeshift shelter shielding a group of old men from the sun. The juxtaposition of noble life, represented by the resplendent elephant, with the quotidian presence of the men and the scavenging ravens is the sort of oxymoron, typical of Indian life, which Weeks found visually irresistible. Beyond this foreground scene, a series of figures ascend the stairway, leading the eye to the deep, recessed arch, whose glimpse of foliage and sky provides visual relief for the densely patterned wall surface. The elephant is the key decorative element in the composition, and Weeks details it in all its glory, with its elaborately painted head and ears, its brilliant crimson velvet robe, with its mounting ladder strapped to its side, and a handsome silk carpet draping from the glistening, fringed howdah crowning its back. Setting off this figure are the elaborate foliate tilework panels surrounding the deeply-shadowed inner and outer arches of the mosque gateway,which Weeks painted with his characteristic startling fidelity to detail, showing its faded, flaking surface, weathered stone, and its well-worn stairs and pavement.
This painting is altogether a triumph of naturalistic detail detail and color, with the entire scene set in the brilliant light of the bright Indian sun. The whole picture is steeped in exotic imagery, the result of Weeks' journeys to lands beyond those experienced by his artistic peers. This is a classical Weeks painting of the highest quality, precisely the sort of work which established his great contemporary reputation.
We are grateful to Dr. Ellen K. Morris for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonn currently being prepared by Dr. Morris.
Yet, in Weeks' hands, the painting still serves as a depiction of everyday life, underscored by the makeshift shelter shielding a group of old men from the sun. The juxtaposition of noble life, represented by the resplendent elephant, with the quotidian presence of the men and the scavenging ravens is the sort of oxymoron, typical of Indian life, which Weeks found visually irresistible. Beyond this foreground scene, a series of figures ascend the stairway, leading the eye to the deep, recessed arch, whose glimpse of foliage and sky provides visual relief for the densely patterned wall surface. The elephant is the key decorative element in the composition, and Weeks details it in all its glory, with its elaborately painted head and ears, its brilliant crimson velvet robe, with its mounting ladder strapped to its side, and a handsome silk carpet draping from the glistening, fringed howdah crowning its back. Setting off this figure are the elaborate foliate tilework panels surrounding the deeply-shadowed inner and outer arches of the mosque gateway,which Weeks painted with his characteristic startling fidelity to detail, showing its faded, flaking surface, weathered stone, and its well-worn stairs and pavement.
This painting is altogether a triumph of naturalistic detail detail and color, with the entire scene set in the brilliant light of the bright Indian sun. The whole picture is steeped in exotic imagery, the result of Weeks' journeys to lands beyond those experienced by his artistic peers. This is a classical Weeks painting of the highest quality, precisely the sort of work which established his great contemporary reputation.
We are grateful to Dr. Ellen K. Morris for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonn currently being prepared by Dr. Morris.