An Elephant and Keeper
This splendid image of an imperial elephant shows the animal tethered in open grassland close to a Mughal army encampment. He waits patiently as his keeper strips cane and prepares other greens for his meal. Tiny groups of foot soldiers and cavalry may be seen in the distance as well as elephants, camels, and a noblewoman’s purdah carriage drawn by bullocks. The now flaked inscription below the image, which creates the impression that it was written by Emperor Shah Jahan himself, has been speculatively interpreted as giving the name of the elephant as Firuz Jang (Victorious in War) and the artist as Ilyas Khan Bahadur.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
