Rao Ram Singh I’s Elephant Gone Amok

c. 1700

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 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.