The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Caparisoned Elephant

c. 1000s

China, Liao dynasty

(916-1125)
gilt bronze
Overall: 18.5 cm (7 5/16 in.)
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1980.24
Location: 241C Chinese Buddhist Sculptures

Description

The six-tusked elephant holds the throne of Puxian (Samantabhadra), the Bodhisattva of Universal Virtue, who often appears with Wenshu (Manjusri), the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, on his lion-vehicle. This impressive gilt bronze statue is solidly cast, except for the hollow at the center of its belly. The richly ornate saddle cloth exhibits superb craftsmanship and vivid representations of dragons among clouds, echoing the worldly splendor of the Liao material culture.
  • 1980
    (J. E. Eskenazi, Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Musuem of Art)
    1980–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Christie's London. Fine Chinese Ceramics, Paintings and Works of Art. 16 April 1980. Lot 59
    Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1980.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 68, no. 6 (June 1981): 163–219. Reproduced: p. 205; Mentioned: p. 218, no. 285 www.jstor.org
  • Year in Review: 1980. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 24-July 19, 1981).
  • {{cite web|title=Caparisoned Elephant|url=false|author=|year=c. 1000s|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1980.24