File:Rampaging elephants, painting inscribed Muhammad Zaman, Iran, late 17th-early 18th century.jpg

English: RAMPAGING ELEPHANTS AND SHIKASTEH CALLIGRAPHY

THE PAINTING INSCRIBED MUHAMMAD ZAMAN, IRAN, LATE 17TH/ EARLY 18TH CENTURY; THE CALLIGRAPHY IRAN, 18TH CENTURY

Recto with a painting in opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper depicting two rampaging elephants held back by their mahouts, the smudged name of Muhammad Zaman in the sky above, some smudging, laid down within navy border with gold vine on pink margins, verso with lines of black shikasteh on buff ground, laid down within blue and gold borders with gold floral illumination on pink margins Painting 6 1/8 x 7 7/8in. (15.4 x 20.2cm.); calligraphy 6 1/8 x 3 ¼in. (15.4 x 8.3cm.); folio 11 3/8 x 6 7/8in. (29 x 17.6cm.)

Scenes of elephant in combat accompanied by mahouts were popular in the Mughal and Jaipur schools of painting. This subject was especially prevalent in the early 17th century as elephant fights were among the most popular form of royal entertainment (Visions of Mughal India, The Collection of Howard Hodgkin, Oxford, 2012, cat. 11, pp.44-45).

Our painting is a unique example of this popular scene produced by the school of Muhammad Zaman in the late 17th or early 18th century. Although the work has been attributed to Muhammad Zaman in a small black inscription above the elephants, it is more likely that the work was produced by an artist working closely in his style. The lively, almost theatrical depiction of the elephants is executed in an extremely fine and masterly way which brings the scene to life. The use of shading in order to create a sense of depth and dimension along with the careful placement of the figures in colourful Mughal dress adds to the artist’s intention of drawing the viewers closer into this exciting event.

From the close attention to the details which characterise paintings done by Zaman, such as the background with the inclusion of the broken tree trunk, the attempt to re-create the tree types, the vivid and lively use of colours and some common facial features in the figures it is evident that the work was done by an experienced painter and a close follower of Zaman, with a strong possibility of Zaman himself being involved in the execution.

The colours of the garments and the faces of the mahouts and spectators involved in the scene can be compared to a painting by Zaman, which was later added to a copy of the Khamsa in the British Library (Or. 2265, f.213r). Another manuscript in the Morgan Library also includes paintings attributed to Muhammad Zaman and his school which bear similarities to our painting in the way the landscapes are treated. The similarity between our painting and the illustrative manuscripts mentioned above suggests that Muhammad Zaman may have been involved in some of the execution and supervision of our work.

It was not uncommon to depict scenes of Indian nature during this period, especially with the increase in the mobility of artists and works of art. A pen box in a private collection published by Diba which was commissioned by Shah Suleyman features a prince attired in a turban wound in an Indian style, supporting our argument that both Muhammad Zaman and his followers were drawing on both royal Mughal and Persian artistic traditions with inspirations from European sources (Layla S. Diba (ed.), Royal Persian Paintings. The Qajar Epoch 1785-1925, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1998, p. 116-117). For an example of a Mughal elephant combat sold in these Rooms see, 9 October 2015, lot 26.