Caparisoned Elephant
Unknown Artist
c. 1000s
Medium
gilt bronze
Dimensions
h. 18.5 cm, l. 24 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Accession Number
1980.24
About this artwork
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.