This painting is packed with descriptive detail, both of action and of the landscape. As the viewer's eye travels from left to right, we see a well in the shade of a cluster of tress. In an enclosure close to that are delicate deer tied up after being rounded up. That they are just captured and not killed means that the target is the tiger, not the docile deer, although one out of the group can be seen chasing a deer as well.
The chief area of action is the foreground where the king's caparisoned elephant is being attacked by a tiger. The king has a halo around his head to signify his divine status. He wants to shoot the tiger but is prevented from doing so by his mahaout. Another tiger has attacked a horseman but the group of hunters accompanying the king are fully equipped with spears and shields to tackle this kind of sudden attacks.
The background is strewn with low hills. The vegetation near the scene of action is lush and thick but the trees in the distance are scraggy and leafless. A pond with swans can also be seen as a peaceful interlude in a violent encounter.
This description by Kiranjyot
Of Related Interest:
The Tiger Hunt
Jehangir's Lion Hunt
Akbar Hunting (folio from the Akbar-nama)
The Royal Hunt(Painting on Silk)
After the Hunt
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