China, 2nd century BC to 1st century AD. Skillfully worked in the round as an elephant standing foursquare on its short legs with its long trunk curled to its left and its tail swished to its right, the animal depicted with characteristic dorsal bumps flanked by floppy ears, the corpulent body rendered gravitating towards the ground and delicately detailed with incisions to depict folds of wrinkles. The semi-translucent stone of a deep celadon tone with brown shadings and grayish-buff patches.

Provenance: From the private collection of Professor Filippo Salviati, Rome, Italy. A professor of archeology and art history at the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies at the Sapienza University of Rome, Prof. Salviati has researched and published extensively on Chinese archaic art.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear.

Weight: 342 g
Dimensions: Length 8 cm

Literature comparison:
Han dynasty jade elephants carved in the round have yet to be found archaeologically, but some Han dynasty gilt-bronze elephants are extant, including four excavated in an Eastern Han burial site at Lijiacun, Koudian, Yanshi, Henan. See Nanjing Museum and Xuyi Cultural and Media Bureau, Jiangsu Xuyiai xian Dayunshan Xihan Jiangdu wangling yihao mu (Royal Mausoleum No. 1 of the Vassal King of Jiangdu State of the Western Han dynasty), Kaogu/Archaeology, Beijing, vol. 10, 2013, p. 36, fig. 57:1. Another relevant example is a gilt-bronze elephant recently excavated from the tomb of Liu Fei, Prince of Jiangdu of the Western Han Dynasty (and a stepbrother of Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han), Dayunshan, Xuyi, Jiangsu. Measuring 30.5 cm in length and 20 cm in height, this carving is depicted with large round eyes, ears pulled back, a long backward-curling nose and a tail that hangs towards the left.

Auction comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 4 April 2017, lot 3305
Price: HKD 7,300,000 or approx. EUR 964,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An outstanding and extremely rare celadon jade figure of an elephant, Western Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, and manner of carving.