Rao Ram Singh I’s Elephant Gone Amok
1700
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1700
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Rao Ram Singh I’s Elephant Gone Amok is a 1700 by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Elephant, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A huge elephant rears up, chains snapping, while five men jab at it with spears and wave sticks wrapped in firecrackers. The animal’s ears are pinned forward, its trunk curled tight. This scene comes from an old Rajasthan court painting. The artist used a tiny dot of gold leaf in the elephant’s eye to show panic and power. The inscription says the elephant’s name was Nahan. If you like this kind of royal animal drama, look up more paintings from the Rajput kingdom of Kota.
A royal elephant, named Nahan, according to the inscription, is attempting to free itself by breaking the chain. His ears are flexed forward, and his great mass overwhelms the five men trying to control the elephant with spears and firecrackers tied to sticks. The artist used gold in the elephant’s eye to emphasize the intensity of expression.
The tusks are ornamented with gold rings, and the sharp tips have been trimmed.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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