Getty Museum

Figure of an Elephant

Date

1736–1795

Medium

Hard-paste porcelain, polychrome enameled decoration, gilding

Culture

Chinese

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

This large, cumbersome elephant is a relatively rare piece. The Chinese modeler transformed the huge animal into a fanciful creature seated in an improbable upright pose with flowers painted on its ears. Whimsical and novel objects of this type, imported from Asia in the 1700s, appealed to European collectors, who would probably never have seen a real elephant.

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