The Met Store Pins & Brooches*King Elephant Brooch

Unique, art-inspired gifts for her.

This endearing elephant honors the great ‘Alam Guman Gajraj as depicted in a magnificent watercolor painted around 1640 and now in The Met’s Islamic Art collection. The Museum’s portrait, which is attributed to the artist Bichitr (Indian, active ca. 1610–60), features a Persian inscription commemorating the animal as the “king of elephants.” Elephants were prized in Indian courts, and this mighty tusker was presented to the Mughal emperor Jahangir during the New Year celebrations of March 21, 1614.

Read about the Museum treasure behind this jewelry and shop other art-inspired designs in our blog post here.

Read our blog post here to shop more Museum-inspired brooches.