id: 314483 accession number: 2018.177 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/2018.177 updated: Rao Ram Singh I’s Elephant Gone Amok, c. 1700. Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Kota. Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; page: 20 x 41.6 cm (7 7/8 x 16 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.177 Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund title: Rao Ram Singh I’s Elephant Gone Amok title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. 1700 creation date earliest: 1690 creation date latest: 1710 current location: creditline: Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund copyright: --- culture: Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Kota technique: gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art collection: Indian Art type: Drawing find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Page: 20 x 41.6 cm (7 7/8 x 16 3/8 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: inscription: gaja nahāna rāma sīga jī kī translation: remark: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Indian Gallery 242 Rotation opening date: 2018-09-10T04:00:00 Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 10, 2018-April 7, 2019). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE --- fun fact: The tusks are ornamented with gold rings, and the sharp tips have been trimmed. digital description: 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. wall description: The maddened elephant’s ears flex forward and his tail rises up as he charges with little heed to the ropes, spears, and firebrands meant to control him. A deft use of line and crosshatching creates a sense of volume and dramatic areas of dense shadow. Spare but effective use of gold, as in the gleaming eye, further affirms the artist’s mastery of his subject, evident despite the stains and tears.
One of a few drawings that survive from an anonymous Kota master, this example conveys the energy and ferocity of this elephant’s maddened condition with intensity and power. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2018.177/2018.177_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2018.177/2018.177_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2018.177/2018.177_full.tif