Page 98 - Christies May 9, 2017 Kensington

Lot 95 in situ

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE ENGLISH COLLECTION

95

A PAIR OF FAMILLE ROSE CAPARISONED ELEPHANTS The imagery of an elephant carrying a vase represents the rebus taiping
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795) youxiang, which may be translated as ‘may there be a peaceful reign’. This
auspicious theme can be seen not only in porcelain like the present lot,
Each elephant is modelled standing foursquare with its head turned to one but also in other media such as cloisonné enamels, metalwork, jades, and
paintings.
side, with bluish-ivory coloured tusks and the hide naturalistically marked in
A very similar pair of elephants dated to the 18th-19th century, also bearing
grey. Each wears colourful and gilt trappings, the saddlecloth is decorated with fanged gu vases, was sold at Christie’s New York, 21-22 March 2013, lot
1563. A pair of slightly smaller caparisoned elephants belonging to the
foaming waves below tasselled chimes, and each saddle bears a turquoise- Edward T. Chow Collection, bearing unfanged gu vases dating to the 19th
century, were sold in Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 19 May 1981, lot 598.
ground fanged gu vase decorated with fowers.
Compare with an elephant in the Palace Museum, Beijing, attributed to the
10æ in. (27.3 cm.) high (2) Qianlong period like the current lot, decorated in the same palette save for
the saddle is illustrated in Yinliuzhai shuoci yizhu (Commentary on Porcelain
£50,000-80,000 $63,000-100,000 from the Studio of Drinking Streams), Beijing, 2005, p. 450, fg. 9-43. A pair
€58,000-92,000 of closely related elephants can be found in the Copeland Collection, in the
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, is illustrated by W. Sargent in The Copeland
PROVENANCE Collection - Chinese and Japanese Ceramic Figures, Milan, 1991, pp. 196-97,
no. 94.
With John Sparks, London, no. 3172.
From the collection of H.F.Parftt. 清乾隆 粉彩太平有象一對
來源：英國私人珍藏, 倫敦古董商JOHN SPARKS，第3172號，其一有
「H.F.P.」收藏標籤

96