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he elephant in Buddhist iconography can appear in varying contexts. One commonly
seen in Chinese Mahayana Buddhist art is that which carries Samantabhadra (Mandarin:
TPuxian pusa) one of the most commonly worshipped bodhisattva in the Chinese tradition.
Other appearances of the elephant in Buddhism are the self-sacrificing white elephant from the Jataka
tales, and the anecdote of the six-tusked elephant king. As the present elephant’s gaze looks up almost
adoringly while keeping the head forward and steady for a possible rider, it would appear to be the bearer
of Samantabhadra, gazing up at the holy figure seated on its back.
Compare with Tang dynasty white marble elephant figures, including one unearthed in the northern
regions of Xi’an and now housed in the Xi’an Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, illustrated in
The Glory of the Silk Road: Art form Ancient China, The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, 2003, cat. no. 78.
Another example was sold at Christie’s New York, 19th March 2008, lot 392. Other examples of Tang
dynasty elephant figures can be found in ceramic form. Several white-glazed examples supporting
candelabra are recorded, including an elaborate caparisoned example sold in these rooms, 17th October
2001, lot 96, and another sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st June 2016, lot 3102.
Elephants created by Chinese artists were typically modeled with a T-form harness over the head,
as seen in the examples cited above. The present example has a harness of diagonal crisscrosses,
similar to some Gandharan depictions, such as a schist example once in the Masaki Art Museum,
Osaka, attributed to the second or third century, illustrated in Sumino Irodori: Osaka Masaki Bijutsukan
Sanjunentenjizuroku [Colors of Ink: Osaka Masaki Art Museum 30 Years Anniversary Exhibition], Nezu
Museum, Tokyo, 1998, cat. no. 82., and sold in these rooms 11th September 2012, lot 104. The Masaki
elephant’s harness extends over the face, perhaps a more realistic model of a practical apparatus, while
the present fragment’s harness lies solely on the cap of the head, betraying at once the decorative
nature of Chinese elephant harnesses (recalling the T-form harnesses so often see in cloisonné, ceramic,
and other media of Chinese depictions), as well as the inspiration derived from stone sculpture of
neighboring cultures.
䆎ౕ҈᪆͚⮱ᒏ䆎ᰶ㦄็䛺ᘼ㓖ȡ͚స๔΅҈᪆፥㺸 ͚స㬊ࡍൾ䕍⮱๔䆎ᒏ䆎喑䆎仃็丫Tᒏ፣喑ज
ᮛ䈏㤖㫖伻䆎喑ₑใȨ᱙⩌㋀ȩϓᰶ㽅䐶๔䆎ᢕጞ 㺸ݺ䔝Ҹ҉ȡ᱙䆎仃ݴ丫ᄺ㻿ႄϑࣶ䵚㒖喑㜴䘕
ϧ喑Вࣷښ➆䆎⢸ぶȡ᱙ݨ⪘䆎Ⱪᒭ̷܊᱈喑䵄 Ъ➺䭭㒲҉ҸⰥ䓾喑࠲᠙̭❴ᇖҸ喑⤫ႅ๔䭗ₐ᱕
ᰶӊᜭᘼ喑䆎仃ݴाݺ喑Ԋᠮ伻㔲喍ࢠᛶ◧ᮛ䈏㤖 㒻㶀乕喑Аιᝃ̶̓㈭喑ృ㺸ȨȪɮᒖȫ ₐ᱕
㫖喎⾖ჇႶ౽ȡ 㒻㶀乕䪸乕30কᎡ㽅ᔢᆂఠ䡟ȩ喑ᵦ≒㒻㶀乕喑Პ
ϙ喑1998Ꭱ喑㌕㮌82喑ਜ਼㈽㈱㬴ჹ℁2012Ꭱ9ᰵ
℁䐰᪥๔⤳ⴠҸ喑ڣ̭ܧౌ㜗㺬Ⴖࡄ䘕喑⤫ႅ㺬
11ᬒ喑㌕㮌104ȡₐ᱕㒻㶀乕㫼҉Ҹݨ⪘䵚㒖㺳㧸
Ⴖ᪴➖㔰ऑⵁ⾣喑ృ䐶ȨThe Glory of the Silk
䆎䲏喑ᝃᰡᣒ䓾ᄓ⩕伻ڤᒏ喑㔹᱙৮ݴײ䖛㧸䆎仃
Road Art form Ancient Chinaȩ喑The Dayton Art
䵚䴯喑ᰡռ㸊丫ᕔ喑ᬻ䶜ڤ׆䆎䕍ಸנ㊞喑ѳϓज
Institute喑А䵀喑2003Ꭱ喑㌕㮌78ȡओ̭Ҹਜ਼㈽
㺸ڣऄγใҳⴠ䰂䷕ᵩᒞ䴬ȡ
㈱Ҡธᓄ2008Ꭱ3ᰵ19ᬒ喑㌕㮌392ȡₑใᅇज℁
䐰⮪䛶䆎ᒏ✚㜧᪥Ҹ喑࠲᠙㈽㈱㬴ჹ℁ᰫܧਜ਼̭Ҹ喑
䆎䏘㸊丫㤜叄喑ਜ਼2001Ꭱ10ᰵ17ᬒ喑㌕㮌96喑ओ
̭Ҹਜ਼仆⍜Ҡธᓄ2016Ꭱ6ᰵ1ᬒ喑㌕㮌3102ȡ
12 SEPTEMBER 2018 SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 33
