Chinese Vase with Elephant Motif

Two elephant heads hang from the neck as handles, trunks curled neatly under.

This vase with elephant motif comes from Nanyang, Henan Province, China, and is contemporary, in egg shell and Nanyang porcelain. Elephant-head handles are a long-standing feature of Chinese vase design, the elephant generally read as a symbol of peace and good fortune. The tall body is faceted into flat panels above a matching footed base, with a ribbed shoulder rising to a long trumpet neck. A soft celadon green glaze covers it all, crazed with a fine net of crackle. It is 15.75 inches high and 5.25 in diameter.

Elephants make excellent handles, and know it.