string(22) "edanmdm:fsg_S2018.1.23" The elephant Khanderao Bahadur killing Sham Mahavat - National Museum of Asian Art
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The elephant Khanderao Bahadur killing Sham Mahavat

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Creative Commons

At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 1700

  • Geography

    Mewar, Rajasthan state, India

  • Material

    Opaque watercolor on paper

  • Dimension

    H x W (painting): 21.3 × 34.2 cm (8 3/8 × 13 7/16 in)

  • Accession Number

    S2018.1.23

  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S2018.1.23

Object Details

  • School/Tradition

    Mewar school

  • Description

    Numerous attendants using firecrackers attempt to control a chained elephant. His mahout grips the elephant with his feet and hands as his hair sticks out in fright.

  • Inscriptions

    Recto: in devanagari script on top red border: Maharana Amar Singhji ri divar ke Khanderao Bahadur marti Sham Mahavati
    Verso: n. 9; 243 jo (album 243); Kimat val. -Rs. 12; Mewar inventory no: 13/243; 240/32?
    Verso: n. 9; 243 jo (album 243); Kimat val. -Rs. 12; Mewar inventory no: 13/243; 240/32?

  • Provenance

    From 1700?
    Royal Udaipur Collection
    To 1967
    Sri Moti Chand Khajanchi, Bikaner [1]
    From 1967 to 2001
    Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), Beverly Hills, California, purchased from Sri Moti Chand Khajanchi, Bikaner in December 1967 [2]
    From 2001 to 2018
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, by inheritance from Ralph Benkaim in 2001 [3]
    From 2018
    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim
    [1] Ralph Benkaim purchased the painting from Mr. Khajanchi of Bikaner in December 1967, several years before Indian paintings were classified as antiquities by the Indian government, according to Ralph Benkaim’s personal records, as relayed by Catherine Glynn Benkaim.
    [2] See note 1.
    [3] See note 1.

  • Collection

    National Museum of Asian Art Collection

  • Previous custodian or owner

    Sri Moti Chand Khajanchi
    Ralph and Catherine Benkaim
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim

  • Origin

    Mewar, Rajasthan state, India

  • Credit Line

    Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art

  • Type

    Painting

  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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