Description

Mounted upon a richly caparisoned elephant and dressed in green robes, Emperor Jahangir (r. 1605–1627) draws his bow against a charging rhinoceros. The hunt has descended into chaos: one rider is hurled from his horse, another lies sprawled on the ground, and members of the imperial entourage scramble for safety among rocky outcrops. Amidst the confusion, the emperor remains composed, embodying the ideal of the sovereign hunter whose courage and self-mastery prevail over the dangers of the natural world.

The painting belongs to a long tradition of imperial hunting imagery associated with Prince Salim, the future Emperor Jahangir. During the final years of Akbar’s reign, Salim commissioned a celebrated Shikarnama, or Hunting Album, portions of which survive today in major collections. Among its most notable paintings are Prince Salim at a Hunt in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Salim Kills Rhinoceros and a Lion in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. These works established the rhinoceros hunt as a distinctive component of Salim’s princely identity and helped shape later representations of Jahangir as both hunter and ruler.

The rhinoceros occupied a special place within Mughal court culture. Rare, dangerous, and difficult to hunt, it represented one of the most formidable animals encountered by imperial sportsmen. Depictions of rhinoceros hunts appear in illustrated manuscripts of the Baburnama, while Jahangir’s own memoirs record his deep fascination with the natural world and his close observation of animals. Hunting scenes involving rhinoceroses therefore served not merely as records of sport, but as expressions of imperial authority, bravery, and dominion over nature.

Although inspired by Mughal prototypes, the present work is best understood as a nineteenth-century Rajput reinterpretation of an imperial theme. Rather than depicting the triumphant conclusion of a hunt, the artist focuses on a moment of peril and disorder. The charging rhinoceroses dominate the composition, overturning riders and scattering attendants in a manner that heightens both drama and narrative tension. Such adaptations of Mughal subjects were particularly popular in Jaipur, where artists continued to draw upon the visual legacy of the Mughal court while infusing familiar themes with a distinctly Rajasthani sensibility.

Condition

Minor wear and rubbing to pigments throughout, with scattered losses and oxidation to the silver border decoration. Small areas of retouching and strengthening visible within the borders. Minor abrasions, surface soiling, and handling wear consistent with age. The borders with scattered imperfections and edge wear. Overall in good condition, with strong color retention and an energetic, well-preserved composition.

Provenance 

Private Collection, Hawaii.

Private Collection, New York, acquired from the above in the 2000s.

References

Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Salim Kills Rhinoceros and a Lion, folio from the Shikarnama, ca. 1600–1604.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Prince Salim at a Hunt (recto), Calligraphy (verso), Folio from a Shikarnama (Hunting Album), Allahabad, ca. 1600–1604.

Sotheby’s, A Prince on Horseback Hunting Rhinoceros, attributed to Nar Singh, Mughal, ca. 1605, New York, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art, 16 March 2016, lot 16.

Trautmann, Thomas R., et al., The Rhinoceros in the Arts and Sciences of the Mughal Period (Leiden: Brill, 2024).

Welch, Stuart Cary, The Art of Mughal India: Painting and Precious Objects (New York: Asia Society, 1963).

Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India, 1100–1900 (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011), illustrating Rao Ram Singh I of Kota Hunting Rhinoceros, ca. 1700.

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