State Elephant, Baroda - 1879

Oil painting on paper by Marianne North dated 1879 of a state elephant at Baroda.
Marianne North visited India in 1877-79 and completed over 200 paintings whilst there. In her autobiography, 'Recollections of a happy life' of 1892, she wrote, "At Baroda at sunrise large employment was prepared for me. First came the gold and silver guns, drawn by noble bullocks with gilded horns...Then came the Maharani's gold carriage, with silver wheels and gorgeous bullocks, quite hidden in silver draperies. Then the two State elephants, painted all over, carrying about £5000 worth of ornaments on their backs: all of them had to be drawn. I was nearly dead when dusk came."

Source : British Library