A pair of jewelled and enamelled gold elephants, India, Jaipur, mid-20th century

These jewelled elephants were a gift from Lord Mountbatten to Edwina Mountbatten to commemorate their twenty-fourth wedding anniversary in 1946.

In the August of 1946, Lord Mountbatten was created a Knight of the Garter as well as given the title of Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, of Romsey in the County of Southampton, by the King for his services during the war.

The enamel colours and profuse decoration seen on the elephants is typical of workshops in Jaipur. The decoration is reminiscent of the gem-setting and enamelling on a covered cup and saucer made in Jaipur, circa 1870-75, which was presented to Edward VII, when Prince of Wales, during his tour of India in 1875-76 by Maharaja Ram Singh II of Jaipur (Royal Collection, United Kingdom; RCIN 11424.a-c). The exquisitely made objects gifted to the Prince proved to be very influential on European taste and design. From the 1880s onwards, a significant number of Jaipur enamelled wares were being made for the European market with traditional Indian designs often being adapted to suit Western demand (K. Meghani, Splendours of the Subcontinent – A Prince’s Tour of India 1875-76, London, 2017, p.94).

Elephants were seen as majestic animals with a regal association as they were used by Indian princely rulers in Rajasthan during royal processions and during hunting expeditions.