20TH CENTURY

Massive cloisonné enamel figures of animals standing on plinths are seen as early as the Qianlong period, such as the figure of an elephant supporting a vase on its back (170 cm. high) in the Qing Court Collection, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 43 - Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pp. 142-43, no. 137. Unlike the scroll decoration on the body of the elephant, the maker of this pair of sheep attempted a more realistic depiction, using tightly scrolled gilt wires to imitate the curly coat of the animal.