Elephant Battery on Parade
1886
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
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Artist
Raja Deen Dayal
Raja Lala Deen Dayal, famously known as Raja Deen Dayal) was an Indian photographer.
See the richer artist page1886
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Elephant Battery on Parade is a 1886 by Raja Deen Dayal, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a parade of elephants carrying big guns and supplies in this painting. The elephants are dressed up and look like they're on display. This scene is interesting because it shows how elephants were used in a different way during this time. You can learn more about this type of scene at the museum: The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Exercises involving elephant batteries, which were exotic to European eyes, attracted spectators; photographs of them were excellent souvenirs of these military forces employed by the British Indian Army. Elephants had been employed in warfare in India since at least the 500s BC, but with the advent of heavy artillery, their function switched from attack to support. They transported big guns and supplies and worked in logging and construction. It took many cattle to pull a load that could be handled by two elephants.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Raja Lala Deen Dayal, famously known as Raja Deen Dayal) was an Indian photographer.
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