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Lot Essay
A large drawing of an imposing, caparisoned royal elephant with his rider. The elephant has been chained on one of his hind legs and is adorned with a simple orange, white and green elephant cover. The rug is tied in place with rope and gold chains decorated with bells and other gold ornaments including small fish. He has wide gold rings on his tusks.
A distinctive local style of painting developed at Sawar towards the end of Pratap Singh's reign (r.1668-1705) which continued under his successor, Raj Singh (r.1705-1730). This small state in Rajasthan, established during the reign of the Mughal emperor Jahangir (r. 1604-28), is situated in the south-east corner of the Ajmer region, virtually on the borders of Amber, Bundi and Mewar. Bundi and Kotah were the closest major courts and there is definitely an affinity between Sawar elephant drawings and those of Kotah, as can be seen between our example and an early 18th century Kotah study of an elephant's head in the collection of Howard Hodgkin (G. G. Filippi, Indian Miniatures and Paintings from the 16th to the 19th century - The collection of Howard Hodgkin, Milan, 1997, no 51, p 100). See also two masterful drawings by Shaykh Taju in the Rao Madho Singh trust Museum, Fort Kotah, dated circa 1730 (Stuart Cary Welch (ed.), Gods, kings and Tigers, The Art of Kotah, New York, 1997, cat.24, p.126 and cat.27, p.130-131).
This drawing was folded down the centre and has lost part of the rider and the tip of the elephant's head as well as his tail. The drawing, however, has lost none of its power.
A distinctive local style of painting developed at Sawar towards the end of Pratap Singh's reign (r.1668-1705) which continued under his successor, Raj Singh (r.1705-1730). This small state in Rajasthan, established during the reign of the Mughal emperor Jahangir (r. 1604-28), is situated in the south-east corner of the Ajmer region, virtually on the borders of Amber, Bundi and Mewar. Bundi and Kotah were the closest major courts and there is definitely an affinity between Sawar elephant drawings and those of Kotah, as can be seen between our example and an early 18th century Kotah study of an elephant's head in the collection of Howard Hodgkin (G. G. Filippi, Indian Miniatures and Paintings from the 16th to the 19th century - The collection of Howard Hodgkin, Milan, 1997, no 51, p 100). See also two masterful drawings by Shaykh Taju in the Rao Madho Singh trust Museum, Fort Kotah, dated circa 1730 (Stuart Cary Welch (ed.), Gods, kings and Tigers, The Art of Kotah, New York, 1997, cat.24, p.126 and cat.27, p.130-131).
This drawing was folded down the centre and has lost part of the rider and the tip of the elephant's head as well as his tail. The drawing, however, has lost none of its power.