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A CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE ELEPHANT The elephant in China is one of the seven Buddhist Sacred Treasures
AND VASE and symbolises peace. The combination of a ‘vase’ (ping 瓶) which
Mid-Qing Dynasty puns with ‘peace’ (ping 平), and elephant (xiang 象) which also means
Cast standing four-square, the head with almond eyes looking ‘sign’ or ‘portent’, forms a rebus for the phrase taiping youxiang (太
forward, the trunk curled between long tusks, the striated white body 平有象), meaning ‘Where there is peace, there is a sign (or elephant)’.
caparisoned with a saddle rug decorated with lotus blooms supporting See a related example of a gilt-bronze and cloisonné enamel elephant,
a baluster vase. 18th century, illustrated in the Compendium Collection of the Palace
29cm (11 3/8 in) high. Museum: Enamelled wares, Beijing, 2010, vol.4, pls.84 and 85.
£6,000 - 8,000 A related cloisonné enamel elephant, 18th/19th century, was sold in
CNY53,000 - 71,000 our Hong Kong Rooms, 3 December 2015, lot 51.
清中葉 銅胎掐絲琺瑯太平有象
For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
212 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.