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Lot Essay
An example originally from the Summer Palace now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, is illustrated by S. Bushell, Chinese Art, vol. II, London, 1924, fig. 91.
The elephant was the embodiment of strength, wisdom and intelligence and the vase represented eternal harmony. As such, elephants with vases on their backs were put beside the throne to symbolize universal peace. A pair of blue cloisonné elephants with vases on their backs can be seen flanking the elaborate throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden Palace, Beijing, in a photograph illustrated in Imperial Life in the Qing Dynasty, The Empress Palace Museum, Singapore, 1989, p. 46.
A similar pair with Qianlong reign marks and of the period, were sold in our New York rooms in The Love Collection, 20 October 2004, lot 353.
The elephant was the embodiment of strength, wisdom and intelligence and the vase represented eternal harmony. As such, elephants with vases on their backs were put beside the throne to symbolize universal peace. A pair of blue cloisonné elephants with vases on their backs can be seen flanking the elaborate throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden Palace, Beijing, in a photograph illustrated in Imperial Life in the Qing Dynasty, The Empress Palace Museum, Singapore, 1989, p. 46.
A similar pair with Qianlong reign marks and of the period, were sold in our New York rooms in The Love Collection, 20 October 2004, lot 353.