Untitled

The Kota Master

ca. 1655–60 · Brush drawing, opaque watercolor on paper · Asian Art

Court life in Rajasthan regularly featured elephant fights as entertainments to mark festivals and royal birthdays. They also served to keep the royal herd exercised and trained in readiness for warfare. This genre of elephant study, which was at its height in the mid-seventeenth century, was dominated by artists from the royal households of Kota and neighboring Bundi. In this highly finished tour de force brush drawing, we see two mighty animals from the royal stables locked in combat, their heads butting and their massive bodies straining to prevail. Fine brushed line work, with a minimum of tonal rendering, and colored highlights add to a heightened sense of drama. The large scale indicates that the study was intended to serve as a template for a mural.

Artist

The Kota Master

Date

ca. 1655–60

Medium

Brush drawing, opaque watercolor on paper

Culture

India, Kota, Rajasthan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, by exchange, 2022