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Two Elephants in Combat
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Elephants were prized possessions for the Rajput Maharajas of Rajasthan. Not only were elephants a decisive factor in the battlefield, but also represented the owner’s material wealth. Elephant fights were a favorite amusement of the Maharaja, and certain elephants were trained specially for this purpose. The drawing depicts two elephants in combat with each other with their trunks intertwined.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineTwo Elephants in Combat, 1700–1730. Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Kota. Ink on paper; page: 35.6 x 53.4 cm (14 x 21 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 2018.178
