Important Notice

BY WAJID, ISARDA, CIRCA 1685
Inscribed in Nagari 'Dakadar haathi ne daak diya jaye che / Raja Raisinghji ko haathi Fateh Sahi che' and further signed 'Wajid' on the reverse
Gouache on paper
Image: 7.5 x 11.5 in (19.2 x 29.3 cm)
Folio: 8.5 x 12.5 in (21.9 x 32.1 cm)

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

PROVENANCE
The Motichand Khajanchi Collection


This animated painting is the work of Wajid, a leading artist at the court of Isarda, a thikana about 80 miles southeast of Jaipur. Wajid was patronised by Thakur Kauju Ram of this fiefdom near Amber, where he first worked and was influenced by the Mughal style. Wajid's name is inscribed on several paintings from this region in the 17th and early 18th century. He is known especially for his wonderful portraits of animals. The present lot depicts a galloping elephant being lead by a horseman. The decorated elephant runs in a trot that belies his size and heft, while the horse ahead rears. The rider on the horse waves a whip-like object, perhaps a firecracker, to tame or scare the elephant. The rich ochre background alludes to the searing heat of the North Indian summer. The grey clouds on the horizon that look like mountains, suggest approaching rains, and were another feature typical of this artist's style.

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