A black hunting Saluki, India, Rajasthan, probably Mewar, second half 18th century

Indar Pasricha Fine Arts, London, by 1987

Sotheby's, New York, 19 March 2008, lot 237

Elephants of Fame and Other Animals in Indian Painting, Indar Pasricha Fine Arts, London, 11 December 1987 - 15 January 1988

Toby Falk, Elephants of Fame and Other Animals in Indian Painting, exhibition catalogue, Indar Pasricha Fine Arts, London, 1987, no.12, p.16

The Saluki is a breed of sighthound that hunts mainly by sight and speed rather than tracking the scent of prey. It was originally bred in the Arabian Peninsula and is sometimes referred to as the Arabian gazelle hound or Persian greyhound. The saluki was associated with the royal hunt in India and is often depicted in hunting scenes, royal processions, and as in equestrian portraits of noblemen as part of the entourage.

This large and impressive study was probably done in Mewar, either at Udaipur or at one of the smaller courts nearby. The painting is noteworthy for its focus on the power of the animal. The artist has chosen not to elaborate on surface details such as the animal's coat or collar but to emphasise instead the physical power and presence of the beast. For a more stylised depiction of a saluki with its keeper from Mewar dated to circa 1800, see D. Ehnbom, The Ehrenfeld Collection, New York, 1985, no.55, pp.122-3.