Cleveland Museum of Art

Caparisoned Elephant

Date: c. 1000s
Medium: gilt bronze
Culture: China, Liao dynasty (916-1125)
Department: Chinese Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

The six-tusked elephant holds the throne of Puxian (Samantabhadra), the Bodhisattva of Universal Virtue, who often appears with Wenshu (Manjusri), the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, on his lion-vehicle. This impressive gilt bronze statue is solidly cast, except for the hollow at the center of its belly. The richly ornate saddle cloth exhibits superb craftsmanship and vivid representations of dragons among clouds, echoing the worldly splendor of the Liao material culture.

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