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Costumes in the Reliefs of Taq-i-Bustan, Plate VI
The Boar Hunt, Detail of Mahout
In the boar hunt relief, each elephant is ridden by a large figure in the saddle. The rider's great size and elegant, rich costume characterize him as a member of the king's court. The smaller mahouts who guide the animal from the neck or cling to the back of the elephants, as their undecorated tunics would seem to indicate, are probably not of noble rank. In some cases their costumes consist of a long-sleeved tunic which reaches below the knee and is belted at the waist by a thick girdle from which hang four thongs (Pl. VI). High boots are worn, over trousers and come to a point below the knee. The bodice of the tunic is covered with a pattern of stylized folds unlike the smooth decorated caftans of the chief riders.
Elsie Holmes Peck, The Representation of Costumes in the Reliefs of Taq-i-Bustan. Artibus Asiae, Vol. 31, No. 2/3, 1969, Plate VI.