Elephants on a River Bank
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Islamic World , Islamic Manuscripts, India, Nepal, and Tibet)
This Mughal painting, Watlers W.685, dates to the late 10th century AH/AD 16th or the early 11th century AH/AD 17th. It depicts elephants on the bank of a river in a rocky landscape with a fortified city in the background. It appears that the wild elephants are being captured with a view to taming them. The figures in grisaille and the architectural vignettes in the background represent early contacts between Mughal India and Europe. The painting has a brown border with illuminated flora and fauna motifs.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
India (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 13 3/16 x W: 8 1/4 in. (33.5 x 21 cm); Image H: 8 3/8 x W: 5 in. (21.2 x 12.7 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
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.685.A