Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
Lot 69
A RARE PAIR OF GILT BRONZE 'ELEPHANT'-HANDLED VASES Qianlong seal marks and of the period
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£20,000 - £30,000
Ask about this lot
Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lazarus Halstead
Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
A RARE PAIR OF GILT BRONZE 'ELEPHANT'-HANDLED VASES
Qianlong seal marks and of the period
Each elegantly cast with globular bodies rising from a short spreading foot to a tall waisted cylindrical neck with galleried rims above two bow-strings, the necks flanked by pairs of elephant-heads suspending loose rings from their trunks.
24.3cm (9 1/2in) high. (2).
Each elegantly cast with globular bodies rising from a short spreading foot to a tall waisted cylindrical neck with galleried rims above two bow-strings, the necks flanked by pairs of elephant-heads suspending loose rings from their trunks.
24.3cm (9 1/2in) high. (2).
Footnotes
清乾隆 銅鎏金象耳瓶一對
「大清乾隆年製」篆書款
The elephant-head handles on the present lot embody rich auspicious symbolism linked to peace, prosperity, and good governance. The Chinese character for 'vase' (ping 瓶) is a homophone of 'peace' (ping 平), while the elephant (xiang 象) represents strength, wisdom, and auspiciousness. Additionally, xiang can mean 'sign' or 'omen.' Together, these elements form a visual expression of the phrase Taiping youxiang (太平有象), meaning 'an auspicious omen of peace,' a motif often associated with a thriving and well-ruled era.
Given this potent symbolism, the Qing Imperial Court naturally featured numerous objects incorporating elephant motifs, whether in the form of elephants carrying vases or vases adorned with elephant-head handles. These designs appeared in a wide range of media, including porcelain, cloisonné, and jade carvings, reinforcing the emperor's role as a guardian of stability and prosperity while aligning with the Court's emphasis on auspicious imagery. See for example the set of four large incense burners in the Qing Court Collection with tripod elephant-head feet, in-situ at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Qianqinggong (乾清宮), illustrated in Classics of the Forbidden City: Imperial Furniture of Ming and Qing Dynasties, Beijing, 2008, no.363. See also the powerful symbolism demonstrated in a detail from the Imperial Court painting 'Ten Thousand Envoys Come to Pay Tribute', 1761, showing a tribute of an elephant carrying a vase, illustrated by C.Ho and B.Bronson, Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of the Emperor Qianlong, London, 2004, pl.82.
A prototype of this vase can be seen in a gilt-bronze vase, Xuande mark and of the period, recorded in a local stele as having been gifted by the Xuande Court to the Qutan Monastery in 1427, in the collection of the Qinghai Provincial Museum, illustrated by Lu Pengliang, 'Xuande Bronzes: A Legend Re-examined', Arts of Asia, 2014, vol.44, p.92, fig.4. See also a related gilt bronze elephant-handled vase, Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, the Palace Museum, Beijing (acc.no.故00178032).
Compare with a small bronze vase with similar elephant-handles and shape, Qianlong mark and of the period, which was sold at Christie's New York, 19 September 2014, lot 1075.