Terms and conditions of use
Maharana Jagat Singh II watching an elephant fight
1750
Medium
opaque watercolour and gold paint on paper
Measurements
39.2 × 54.0 cm (image) 44.3 × 58.8 cm (sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1980
Gallery location
Level 1, NGV International
About this work
Honoured and revered throughout much of Indian history, elephants were considered especially auspicious in the court of Rajput kings. They were an essential part of royal parades, festivities and religious occasions as an extension of the king’s strength and prestige. Trained to be fearless in the face of danger, elephants were used to conquer opponents on the battlefield, gain advantage on hunting expeditions and as entertainment in staged and often violent elephant fights. In this painting, at the Udaipur chaugun (polo) field, we see Maharana Jagat Singh II (reign 1734–51), denoted by a halo, in a pavilion observing elephants vigorously tussling with each other over a walled section of the enclosure.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Inscription
inscribed in brush and ink on reverse (in Devanagari script) l.c.:
Accession Number
AS143-1980
Department
Asian Art
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Gordon Darling Foundation