QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details

A RARE PAIR OF CORAL BEAD, HARDSTONE AND GLASS-EMBELLISHED FIGURES OF ELEPHANTS
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)
Both elephants are covered with small coral beads and shown standing foursquare with head facing forward, ears pulled back and trunk slightly curled up. The enameled gilt-metal harness and saddlecloth are decorated with lotus sprays within a key-fret border and beaded fringes, are further embellished with turquoise, tourmaline, amethyst, glass and jade.

9 ¾ in. (24.8 cm) x 9 in. (22.9 cm.) long

Provenance

Offered Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., New York, 10 February 1979, lot 53.

Sale room notice

Please note that this lot contains regulated species material. Shipping to destinations outside the USA requires an export permit which will delay your shipment. Please contact Post Sale Services on +1 212 636 2650 prior to bidding to check if Christie’s can ship to your proposed destination. Alternatively, you can collect in person and arrange for your own export permit and shipping.

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

Elephant-form objects such as this luxurious coral and hardstone-embellished pair were popular imperial furnishings as elephants symbolize peace and stability. Compare the lapis lazuli figure of an elephant dated to the Qianlong period also adorned with lavishly embellished trappings, but shown supporting a vase with a tall embellished canopy, illustrated in Daily Life in the Forbidden City, New York, 1988, p. 158, no. 216.

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