Terracotta Vessel with an Elephant Raising its Trunk

The Herald

Where a companion vessel in the gallery’s collection looks straight ahead, this elephant lifts its trunk high. The raised trunk is an old and widespread image, read in many places as a sign of greeting, celebration and good fortune.

The maker has given the animal real presence. The long back arches over the globe, the legs grip it firmly, and the head turns slightly as if it has just noticed us. The red of the ears, eyes and tusks gives the face warmth and focus.

On the body of the vessel, the decoration changes rhythm. Instead of stripes, a single zigzag band winds across the surface, studded with circles like a path or a river seen from above, crossed by toothed ridges that run from top to bottom.

Set side by side, the two elephants in the gallery’s collection read like a pair: one calm and balanced, the other lifting its trunk to announce its arrival.

An elephant stands over a large globular vessel, its forelegs on the crown of the sphere and its hind legs against the side. The trunk is raised and curled, and the tusks, eyes and great round ears are painted red; each ear is incised with a cross.

The globe is decorated with serrated vertical ribs and a winding zigzag band set with concentric circles. A slit in the elephant’s chest may have served as an opening.