Indian Figure of Elephant with Howdah & Deity

A long-legged elephant, a small rider at the neck, and a canopy rising above them both.

This figure of an elephant with howdah and deity comes from Maharashtra, India, 18th century, in bronze. Elephants are among the oldest symbols of royal and divine authority in India, and devotees kept bronzes like this in temples and home shrines, showing a sacred rider in royal style. A small figure sits at the neck holding up a small object, below an open canopy on thin arches with a bud-shaped finial. A rope and bell hang at the elephant's flank. A wide collar marks the neck, and the trunk drops long before turning up at the tip. Nineteen inches high.

Everything about it points upward, including the trunk.