Page 58 - Bonhams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art March 2019

859
A RAMPAGING ELEPHANT
KOTAH, 18TH CENTURY
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
Image: 6 1/4 x 7 in. (15.8 x 17.7 cm);
Folio: 6 7/8 x 7 5/8 in. (17.5 x 19.4 cm)
$5,000 - 8,000

Taunted by handlers with prods and fireworks (cherkys),
the elephant has broken free of its shackles and crushes
the unfortunate primary mahout who has fallen off. The
chaos of the moment is cleverly evoked by the painting’s
disorienting perspective. The elephant may yet survive a
better fate than its rider; its face paint, straps and gold
bells indicate he is a favorite of the ruler. Compare a ram-
paging elephant, attributed to Kotah, in the Alvin O. Bellak
Collection (Mason, Intimate Worlds, Philadelphia, 2001,
p.169, no.70).

Provenance
Private German Collection

859

860
A PORTRAIT OF THE ELEPHANT ARIDALAN
KISHANGRAH, CIRCA 1770
Opaque watercolor on paper; recto inscribed in ink,
translated, ‘the elephant destroyer of the enemies, seven
trunks high, lord of the top-knot, maker of a great noise
(?), his long tusks are terrifying on release (?)’; verso in-
scribed in pencil, ‘Elephant Aridalan, Crusher of enemies,
Seven feet high, Kishanghar ca.1770’.
Image: 9 1/8 x 10 7/8 in. (23 x 27.7 cm);
Folio: 9 1/4 x 11 3/8 in. (23.5 x 29 cm)
$8,000 - 12,000

For closely related study, formerly in the Howard Hodgkin
Collection, see Sotheby’s, London, 24 October 2017, lot
167.

Published
Alexis Renard, Game of Gods - Game of Love, Paris,
2016, no.10.

Provenance
Christie’s, London, 9 October 2015, lot 27
860

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