Description
The mahout (elephant driver), directs the confident female elephant at a brisk trot, with bells swinging in response to her movements. This painting belongs to a series depicting the elephants in the royal stables at Udaipur, each one named in the upper margin. Elephants have been a potent emblem for royalty in India for more than three thousand years.
Provenance
Collection in London, England, to Dr. Norman Zaworski (?–c. 1970s); Dr. Norman Zaworski [1920–2013], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (c. 1970s–2005); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2005–)
Accession Number
2005.202
Medium
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Painting: 20.6 x 21.4 cm (8 1/8 x 8 7/16 in.); Overall: 24.1 x 25 cm (9 1/2 x 9 13/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski
