Verso:

Painting of a wild elephant hunt in the forest of Narwar, 1564, by Dhanraj

Wild elephants were hunted by the Mughals in the hope that they would join the royal stables once pacified. In this small but finely executed painting, hunters riding on tame elephants as well as horses, on foot and up in the trees, are attempting to seize four wild elephants. In the foreground a group of them use spears and arrows to attack one elephant which has wrapped its trunk around a horse's leg, thrusting its tusk into the animal's hind quarter, the legs of the horse's rider crushed below.

This seems to depict a real event described in the Akbarnamah of a hunt that took place in 1564 in the elephant forests near Narwar, a town in Gwaliar: "His Majesty practised the laws of hunting in the pursuit of elephants in the forest of Narwar, and sent out parties in every direction. He himself with his brave companions enjoyed the sport. That day after a great chase a female elephant was seen in the distance. They hastened after it, and having tired it out, they bound it to another elephant. As they were doing so, Adham, the son of Mulla Kitabdar, fell into the clutches of the elephant and was kneaded somewhat but managed to crawl away."

Above the painting is an inscription: 'property of Mister Thomas'.


recto:

Specimens of calligraphy by Mir Ali and Muhammad Husayn Kashmiri

Right: a Persian verse by Jami written on pale sand coloured paper.

Signed: 'written by the sinful slave Mir Ali, may God cover his faults'.

Lower right: Persian verse written on marbled paper decorated with large gold flecks.

Signed: 'The sinner Muhammad Husayn'.

Left: Persian verse written on pale sand paper decorated with gold illumination in a floral pattern.

Signed: 'By the true, sincere friend, Muhammad Husayn Kashmiri in the capital of the Caliphate, Lahore. Written in 999 (1591 AD)'