A polychrome enameled elephant


Qianlong mark, late Qing/Republic periodSurmounted by a baluster vase decorated to depict three halberds in a vase surrounded by other One Hundred Antique and additional auspicious emblems, potted to fit securely into an elaborate saddle and blanket depicting horses on waves upon a bright yellow ground, the stalwart pachyderm otherwise caparisoned in elaborately molded jewels strewn over his lightly coral-colored skin streaked in fur, the underside bearing the six-character mark in blue enamels. 20in (51cm) total height inclusive of vase
|In Chinese art, a vase (ping) upon an elephant (xiang) is usually parsed as 'There Shall be Signs of the Great Peace' (taiping you xiang). Additionally Terese Tse Bartholomew notes that having three halberds (san ji) in a vase on an elephant would mean more specifically 'May you Rise Three Ranks Peacefully' (pingsheng san ji). See her Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art (San Francisco: Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2006), p. 113, no 5.11.2. This would presumably be within the context of this augured Great Peace of the high Qing dynasty, here represented symbolically in the present lot by the two opposing chimes (qing) hung on the elephant's saddle blanket.