Royal lion hunt

Gouache on paper.

At the centre of this fragmentary composition, a Raja on an elephant attacks a lion with bow and arrows. The lioness and cubs stand at bay in the rocks nearby and a bear heaves a rock at the royal escort to the left. Such conventions are adapted by the artist from Mughal (and Persian) painting, but his interpretation is much more energetic, with a fluid treatment of space and bold shifts of scale.

To view a high-resolution version of this image and for further information please visit the Yousef Jameel Online Centre at the Ashmolean.