Elephant

This figure of an elephant modelled in a standing position is surprisingly lively. It turns is raised head and trunk to the right. Its large eyes gaze at the observer and with its slightly opened mouth it seems about to trumpet. Its legs are sturdy, its small ears delicately modelled. The eyes and brows of the animal are painted black, the mouth red. Its back is covered in a cloth which is bound with a tasselled cinch in red decorated in the "Kakimon" style with red peony blooms and blue "karakusa"-scrolls. The elephant, especially the white elephant, plays an important role in Buddhism in China and Japan as a symbol of wisdom and as the mount of the Bodhisattva Fugen. Elephants appear frequently in painting and porcelain decoration, although anatomical details are often depicted inaccurately because of a lack of familiarity with the animal. The body of the Dresden elephant has presumably been manufactured from two sections made in a mould. Legs, head and smaller parts such as ears were made separately and attached. The open mouth was a technical necessity. It enabled air to escape during firing. According to the inventory of 1779 there were originally three elephants in the Dresden collection, of which sadly only one has been preserved.