Salvador Dalí

Private Collection, France

Dalí, illustrateur et sculpteur (exhibition catalogue), PALEXPO, Geneva, 1992, illustration of another cast p. 75
Robert & Nicholas Descharnes, Dalí Sculptures & Objects, The Hard and the Soft, Paris, 2004, no. 631, illustration of another cast p. 245

Dark brown patina with red and light-brown accents. There is some minor rubbing to the peaked areas of the elephant's extremities. The obelisk is a separate piece and is not permanently attached to the body of the elephant. There is a minor loss to the tip of the obelisk, as well as a few scratches and accretion from a previously-applied piece of tape. Overall the work is in excellent condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"In the Dalínian menagerie, the elephant occupies a preponderant place. For Dalí, this tranquil and slow pachyderm lacked aerial grace. In just a few strokes, Dalí cured this God-given weakness: what could be more elegant than to graft the legs and hooves of a giraffe onto the greatest animal on earth? His normal behavior of course was completely upset. One could easily imagine Surus, the personal elephant of Hannibal, changing into such a beast, crossing the plain of the Ampurdan to conquer the Alps in a graceful balance with his trunk pointed skywards.

This is the magestic representation of the Space Elephant, crowned by an obelisk and appearing to be a twin brother of a richly armored elephant of the troupe painted by Dalí in 1946 in the painting, The Temptation of Saint Anthony" (Robert & Nicholas Descharnes, op. cit., p. 245).

 

Fig. 1  Salvador Dalí, The Temptation of Saint Anthony, oil on canvas, 1946, Musées Royaux des B. A. de Belgique, Brussels