Playful Elephant Bathing in Dust
Preparatory to every Indian painting is an underdrawing, typically executed in charcoal (to allow it to be erased when no longer needed) but also sometimes in ink applied by brush. Here the artist used fine brushwork to realize this quirky study of an elephant at play. The animal appears to be enjoying rolling in the earth (“bathing in dust”). The elephant’s dramatic contrapposto position—with his body rolled and his head and trunk raised in a seemingly joyful expression—adds to the whimsical air of the drawing, which probably served as a model for a larger finished painting or mural.
Artwork Details
- Title: Playful Elephant Bathing in Dust
- Date: ca. 1700
- Culture: India, Rajasthan, Kota
- Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink, and charcoal on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 9 13/16 × 9 13/16 in. (25 × 25 cm)
Framed: 13 3/4 × 15 1/2 × 3/4 in. (34.9 × 39.4 × 1.9 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, by exchange, 2022
- Object Number: 2022.213
- Rights and Reproduction: Photo © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Stipple Master
Jai Ram
ca. 1712
India (Madhya Pradesh, Malwa)
ca. 1650
India (Rajasthan, Sirohi)
ca. 1680
India (Rajasthan, Bikaner)
ca. 1725
India (Rajasthan, Kishangarh)
ca. 1735
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.