A RAMPAGING ELEPHANT


KOTAH, 18TH CENTURY Opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Image: 6 1/4 x 7 in. (15.8 x 17.7 cm);Folio: 6 7/8 x 7 5/8 in. (17.5 x 19.4 cm)
|Taunted by handlers with prods and fireworks (cherkys), the elephant has broken free of its shackles and crushes the unfortunate primary mahout who has fallen off. The chaos of the moment is cleverly evoked by the painting's disorienting perspective. The elephant may yet survive a better fate than its rider; its face paint, straps and gold bells indicate he is a favorite of the ruler. Compare a rampaging elephant, attributed to Kotah, in the Alvin O. Bellak Collection (Mason, Intimate Worlds, Philadelphia, 2001, p.169, no.70).Provenance Private German Collection