A large gilt-bronze and cloisonné enamel caparisoned elephant and stand, Qing dynasty, 19th century | 清十九世紀 鎏金銅掐絲琺瑯嵌寶太平有象

Sotheby's London, 16th May 2007, lot 107.

倫敦蘇富比2007年5月16日，編號107

Elaborately modelled in the form of an elephant carrying a vase, this piece is remarkable for its brilliant combination of gilt-bronze and cloisonné enamels. Figures of elephants carrying vases were usually made in pairs and often displayed in throne rooms where they functioned as auspicious omens. The elephant (xiang) is a symbol of peace and with a vase (ping), it forms the wish taiping youxiang (peaceful times).

Compare an elephant and vase group in the collection of the Summer Palace, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu fenlei quanji. Zhongguo jinyin boli falang qi quanji [Complete Book of Gold and Silver Wares, Glass Wares and Cloisonné Enamels Volume], Shijiazhuang, 2002, vol. 6, pl. 281.