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The Elephant King Attacked by a Crocodile
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
A herd of elephants is playing in a river when their leader is attacked by a crocodile. As this transpires, the elephant calls for the god Vishnu to save him. Because the elephant’s faith in Vishnu is sincere, the deity comes to his rescue. The story demonstrates the strength of genuine faith and Vishnu’s willingness to help the faithful. The image of the sun being pulled by a horse-drawn chariot at the top of the painting is one convention for depicting Surya, the solar deity in Hinduism.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2001, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 3/27/2018 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
Geographies
India, Rajasthan, Ajmer (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 11 7/8 x W: 8 5/16 in. (30.2 x 21.1 cm); Framed H: 20 1/8 × W: 15 3/16 × D: 1 1/4 in. (51.12 × 38.58 × 3.18 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2001
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.887