Elephant

Pale greyish-white jade with amber and brown markings. The generous mound of jade carved as a reclining elephant with its head turned back on its body. Its trunk is curled in the opposite direction behind the crossed tusks to nestle against the extended right front leg, while its hind legs bend back at the knees toward the rump. The compact pose expresses effectively the lumbering bulk of the elephant. Additional details--the flopping veined ears, small round eyes, heavy folds of skin behind its neck and limbs--contribute to its intense realism. The underside of the feet as well as the individual toes are described with admirable precision. Wrinkles, on its forehead and emanating from the corners of its beady eyes, give the animal an impish personality not encountered on other jade elephants.

Without much distortion of the original shape of the stone, an artisan produced in this piece a winsome elephant, which as a motif has a long history in Chinese art. The animal was prized as a source of the favored luxury good, ivory, and was also associated with symbolic meanings. The Chinese word for elephant (xiang) sounds like another word meaning "image" or "emblem," so the animal was considered to symbolize a visible manifestation of the hidden workings of the cosmos.

This carving is difficult to date with certainty, but the sensitive, almost naturalistic portrayal of the elephant suggests a date in the Song dynasty. The precise articulation of the individual toes, including on the underside of the feet, is another feature typical of Song dynasty workmanship. Members of the scholar class liked to collect jades because they felt the innate qualities of the stone--its hardness and smooth tactile quality--were good metaphors for the integrity and purity of a gentleman.

Arthur M. Sackler Collection

5000 Years of Chinese Jade (October 1, 2011 to February 19, 2012)

Magic, Myths, and Minerals: Chinese Jades from the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (August 23, 2003 to January 29, 2006)

Chinese Jade Animals (April 19 to July 14, 1996)

The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)

Monsters, Myths and Minerals (September 28, 1987 to November 26, 1995)

Celadon, Jade: Finds, Specimen, Scientific Results (May to June 1963)