Maharana Raj Singh I observing an elephant fight
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1670-1675
notes: label: School/Tradition
content: Mewar school
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Inscriptions
content: Updated 2022
label: Inscriptions
content: kī 115 18/40
label: Inscriptions
content: [partially obscured]…. kālīkāṁṭī ro bhālerāv
label: Inscriptions
content: Price 115 rupees [in red] 18/40
label: Inscriptions
content: …black Bhalerav
label: Inscriptions
content: śrī māhārājādhīrāj māhrāṇojī śrī rāj sīghjī baṭhā
label: Inscriptions
content: bhatiyanī chovṭe hāthī ladavaya jaṭhe sāmā
label: Inscriptions
content: māhārājā arsī beṭhā māhārājā gaj sīghjī
label: Inscriptions
content: beṭhā hajur pāche prohat garībdāsjī beṭhā
label: Inscriptions
content: hāṭhī sadāmaṁd bhurīkaṁṭī ro hāṭhī bhālerāv
label: Inscriptions
content: kālīkāṁṭī ro
label: Inscriptions
content: Shri Maharajadhiraj Maharanaji Shri Raj Singhji sat [at]
label: Inscriptions
content: Bhatiyani Chohta; the elephants were made to fight
label: Inscriptions
content: there; where, in front, Maharaja Arsi sat, Maharaja Gaj
label: Inscriptions
content: Singhji sat, after the king, the priest Garibdas sat.
label: Inscriptions
content: Elephant Sadamand has a brown luster; elephant
label: Inscriptions
content: Bhalerav has a black luster.
label: Inscriptions
content: 2018
label: Inscriptions
content: Verso in Rajasthani in devanagari script:
label: Inscriptions
content: (on right, in a smaller hand) Hathi Jhalera Su Ladavya, Kali Kanti Ro Jhalerav
label: Inscriptions
content: Elephant fight and the one with the black band is Jhalerav (meaning of Jhalerav unknown)
label: Inscriptions
content: (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
label: Inscriptions
content: 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.
label: Provenance
content: Royal Udaipur Collection [1]
label: Provenance
content: To 2004
label: Provenance
content: Vishnu Lal, New York, New York [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 2004 to 2018
label: Provenance
content: Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, purchased from Vishnu Lal in New York, New York in 2004 [3]
label: Provenance
content: From 2018
label: Provenance
content: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [4]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [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.
label: Provenance
content: [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.
label: Provenance
content: [3] See note 2.
label: Provenance
content: [4] See Acquisition Justification Form, object file, Collections Management Office.
label: Collection
content: National Museum of Asian Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur (November 19, 2022 to May 14, 2023)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Royal Udaipur Collection
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Vishnu M. Lal
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Catherine Glynn Benkaim (born 1946)
place: label: Origin
content: Mewar, Rajasthan state, India
topic: label: Topic
content: elephant
label: Topic
content: India
label: Topic
content: South Asian and Himalayan Art
label: Topic
content: Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection
setName: label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: S2018.1.57
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (overall): 47 × 52.1 cm (18 1/2 × 20 1/2 in)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (display mat): 62.2 × 67.3 × 0.5 cm (24 1/2 × 26 1/2 × 3/16 in)