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FATEH SHAHI THE ELEPHANT
OF RAJA RAISINGH
BY WAJID, ISARDA, CIRCA 1685
Inscribed in Nagari ‘Dakadar haathi ne daak diya jaye che /
Raja Raisinghji ko haathi Fateh Sahi che’ and further signed
‘Wajid’ on the reverse
Gouache on paper
Image: 7.5 x 11.5 in (19.2 x 29.3 cm)
Folio: 8.5 x 12.5 in (21.9 x 32.1 cm)
Rs 8,00,000 ‒ 10,00,000
$ 11,945 - 14,930
NON‒EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
PROVENANCE
The Motichand Khajanchi Collection
This animated painting is the work of Wajid, a leading artist
at the court of Isarda, a
thikana
about 80 miles southeast
of Jaipur. Wajid was patronised by Thakur Kauju Ram of
this fiefdom near Amber, where he first worked and was
influenced by the Mughal style. Wajid’s name is inscribed on
several paintings from this region in the 17
th
and early 18
th
century. He is known especially for his wonderful portraits of
animals. The present lot depicts a galloping elephant being
lead by a horseman. The decorated elephant runs in a trot
that belies his size and heft, while the horse ahead rears.
The rider on the horse waves a whip‒like object, perhaps
a firecracker, to tame or scare the elephant. The rich ochre
background alludes to the searing heat of the North Indian
summer. The grey clouds on the horizon that look like
mountains, suggest approaching rains, and were another
feature typical of this artist’s style.
Detail of inscription on reverse
For another painting signed by Wajid with a similar rendition of the sky, compare with Sotheby’s London,
The Khosrovani‒
Diba Collection
, 19 October 2016, lot 24, and Stella Kramrisch
, Painted Delight: Indian Paintings from Philadelphia Collections,
Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1986, p. 89.