Detail: This temporary display in Gallery 29 presents twenty elephant subjects, dating from about 1570 to 1750, have been selected from the distinguished collection of the artist Sir Howard Hodgkin. Elephants were highly prized by the Muslim and Hindu rulers of India, for their power in battle and as majestic mounts on ceremonial occasions. The royal elephants were often depicted by court artists, in expressive individual portraits or in scenes of hunting and processions.