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Royal Elephant Ramkali with a Mahout
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineRoyal Elephant Ramkali with a Mahout, c. 1761. Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput kingdom of Mewar, Udaipur, Court of Ari Singh (reigned 1761-73). Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; 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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski, 2005.202
