Young Elephant Eating
In this close study from the Shah Jahan period a young elephant is depicted grasping leaves and cane in its trunk. While the genre of elephant subjects was well developed in the Mughal age, this example shows a particularly sensitivity to the personality and character of its subject. The elephant’s youthfulness is conveyed in its physical proportions. His forefeet are linked by a chain suggesting that he has not yet been tamed. He is informally dressed with small back cloth and has just deposited three mounds of dung as he prepares to feast on the leaves.
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