Object Details
- School/Tradition
- Mewar school
- Description
- Within an arena, five vignettes convey the play-by-play action of an elephant contest. At the upper right, the elephants are introduced, then clash beneath the Rana's balcony on the upper left, until one falls and sheds its mahouts. It is pursued, but turns on its attacker, which also spills its riders.
- The many active minor figures are freshly if naively drawn and the action unusually overlaps into the margins. Above and aloof from the melee, the Rana sits facing his younger brother Arsi and son Gaj Singh, while Garibas sits behind.
- Inscriptions
- Updated 2022
- kī 115 18/40
- [partially obscured]…. kālīkāṁṭī ro bhālerāv
- Price 115 rupees [in red] 18/40
- …black Bhalerav
- śrī māhārājādhīrāj māhrāṇojī śrī rāj sīghjī baṭhā
- bhatiyanī chovṭe hāthī ladavaya jaṭhe sāmā
- māhārājā arsī beṭhā māhārājā gaj sīghjī
- beṭhā hajur pāche prohat garībdāsjī beṭhā
- hāṭhī sadāmaṁd bhurīkaṁṭī ro hāṭhī bhālerāv
- kālīkāṁṭī ro
- Shri Maharajadhiraj Maharanaji Shri Raj Singhji sat [at]
- Bhatiyani Chohta; the elephants were made to fight
- there; where, in front, Maharaja Arsi sat, Maharaja Gaj
- Singhji sat, after the king, the priest Garibdas sat.
- Elephant Sadamand has a brown luster; elephant
- Bhalerav has a black luster.
- 2018
- Verso in Rajasthani in devanagari script:
- (on right, in a smaller hand) Hathi Jhalera Su Ladavya, Kali Kanti Ro Jhalerav
- Elephant fight and the one with the black band is Jhalerav (meaning of Jhalerav unknown)
- (in a larger hand) Shri Maharaja Dheraj Maharanoji Shri Raj Singhni Bada Bhatiyani Chovte Hathi Ladavaya Jate Sama Maharaja Arsiji Betha Maharaja GajSigh Ji Betha Husuriya Che. Prohit Garibdas Betha Hathi Sadasamand Bhuri Kanti Ro Hathi Bhalerav Kali Kanti Ro
- During Shri Maharajadhiraj Maharana ji Shri Raj Singh’s [big/elder?] elephant fight in a field. Sitting in front is Maharaja Arsiji and Maharaja Shri Gaj Singh ji in service. The priest Garibdas ji is also sitting. As always the elephant has a brown [chain/throat/ neck band?] and [Bhalerav?] elephant has a black [chain/throat/ neck band]. 1.
- Provenance
- Royal Udaipur Collection [1]
- To 2004
- Vishnu Lal, New York, New York [2]
- From 2004 to 2018
- Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, purchased from Vishnu Lal in New York, New York in 2004 [3]
- From 2018
- Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [4]
- Notes:
- [1] According to information from Andrew Topsfield, the painting was previously in the Royal Collection of Udaipur. He states, “I first saw this picture in 1976. It was then in Switzerland and belonged to a group of paintings formerly in the Mewar royal collection which I understood had come out of India a few years before, possibly 1969 but I am not sure.” See letter from Andrew Topsfield from Nov. 29, 2917, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.
- [2] According to information from Catherine Glenn Benkaim, Vishnu Lal is the son of an Agra dealer, Ganeshi Lal. But he also had an office on 42nd street and 5th avenue right across the street from the Public Library. Ms. Benkaim does not know when the New York office opened because the Lal family had been in the business since the 19th century. The New York office is no longer open.
- [3] See note 2.
- [4] See Acquisition Justification Form, object file, Collections Management Office.
- Collection
- National Museum of Asian Art Collection
- Exhibition History
- A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur (November 19, 2022 to May 14, 2023)
- Previous custodian or owner
- Royal Udaipur Collection
- Vishnu M. Lal
- Catherine Glynn Benkaim
- Credit Line
- Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art
- ca. 1670-1675
- Accession Number
- S2018.1.57
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (overall): 47 × 52.1 cm (18 1/2 × 20 1/2 in)
- H x W x D (display mat): 62.2 × 67.3 × 0.5 cm (24 1/2 × 26 1/2 × 3/16 in)
- Origin
- Mewar, Rajasthan state, India
- See more items in
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Topic
- elephant
- India
- South Asian and Himalayan Art
- Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection
- Record ID
- fsg_S2018.1.57
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye33c4529eb-5c35-47c7-9a8d-e85378140d8a
