The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Two Elephants in Combat

1700–1730

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Kota

ink on paper
Page: 35.6 x 53.4 cm (14 x 21 in.)
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.178
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The elephants have been shackled at their back feet to keep them from running free.

Description

Elephants were prized possessions for the Rajput Maharajas of Rajasthan. Not only were elephants a decisive factor in the battlefield, but also represented the owner’s material wealth. Elephant fights were a favorite amusement of the Maharaja, and certain elephants were trained specially for this purpose. The drawing depicts two elephants in combat with each other with their trunks intertwined.
  • ?–2018
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Barbara Timmer, Beverly Hills, CA, partial sale and gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2018–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Two Elephants in Combat|url=false|author=|year=1700–1730|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.178