Copy of painting from the caves of Ajanta

Oil painting
Ajanta, India
1881-1883

Artist: Griffiths, John
Bombay School of Art
Oil on canvas

This painting is largely damaged on the right hand side. On the left hand side is an elephant who is adorned with jewellery. Below the elephant is a horse. To the left of the elephant are three figures, two of whom are wearing jewellery. In the top left hand corner is a small elf-type figure.

This is a copy of a painting in cave 17 at Ajanta. The white patches cover fragile areas that require conservation work. These cave paintings date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480 and are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the Jatakas).

The Ajanta cave complex was discovered in 1819 and attempts were made to document the paintings inside them. In 1844 Major Robert Gill was commissioned to make copies. Unfortunately most of the paintings he completed were destroyed in a fire in 1866. To make up for this loss, from 1872 to 1885 John Griffiths from the Bombay School of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter at the caves. This is one of the approximately 300 paintings they produced.

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