INDIA, RAJASTHAN, KOTAH, CIRCA 1750

Raja Goman Singh (r. 1766-71) mounts an violently gyrating, escaped elephant, as his attendants attempt to subdue the large animal with spears. Elephant fighting was a popular sport amongst the Rajputs, Maharajas often keeping massive stables for their elephants and naming their favorites. The tradition of elephant keeping was most cherished in the states of Kotah and Bundi, whose artists dominated the genre of Elephant studies. Artists from Kotah and Bundi represented Elephants with great skill and great empathy, with remarkable line work and expressive momentum and drama. For another version of the same scene, of the same scene, see Rosa Maria Cimino, Life at Court in Rajasthan, Florence & New York, 1985, no. 89, p. 90.