AN IMPRESSIVE SILVER ELEPHANT, MEIJI PERIOD, LATE 19TH CENTURY

If anyone were to see this elephant out of context and without explanation, one would almost think it not Japanese as it is highly ornate, made from a combination of lavish materials and is unusually large for its type. In other words it is quite unlike anything produced in traditional Edo-period (1615-1868) Japan or even earlier. It is in fact the result of the extremely high-quality workmanship that one comes to expect from the subsequent Meiji period (1868-1912), which was made for a new market and for a different purpose.

After a period of prolonged national seclusion during the Edo period, external pressure, largely from America exacerbated internal unrest. This culminated in the downfall of the Tokugawa regime and the restoration of the Meiji emperor in 1868, marking the beginning of the Meiji period. Japan set out to transform itself into a modern nation, resulting in profound political, economic and social changes. By early Meiji, Japan was aware of the enormous scientific, technological and military superiority of Western nations and equated these with progress and modernization. As a result the Japanese actively embraced many aspects of Western culture and learning, opening the floodgates to wholescale Western influence. A sharp distinction should be made between those items made for the home market and those for export. The elephant was one such art object definitely made for export; it was produced in a style that would not have appealed to Japanese aesthetics but rather reflects the influence of high Victorian taste.

As a result of such profound changes that ensued, large sections of the population found themselves in severe financial straits, together with the loss of many traditional art patrons. This was deeply felt particularly in the field of metalwork. The Haitorei Edict of 1876 not only abolished the samurai as a class, but also prohibited the right of samurai to wear swords. This resulted in the many craftsmen who manufactured swords, as well as their many and highly ornate fittings used on their hilts and scabbards being denied an outlet for their skills.

 Fortuitously this coincided with the opening of Japan and an insatiable demand in the West for all things Japanese. What Westerners particularly desired were items that were often in Western form and served a purpose within a Western interior. Increasingly such objects, however, served no particular function other than being dramatic and highly decorative. This richly caparisoned silver elephant and its tusks in gold, along with a number of different metals for certain details, as well as its highly ornate trappings and a saddlecloth in cloisonné enamel, was precisely what Westerners craved.[1] Not only was the elephant itself considered exotic, but Westerners also highly valued elaborate carvings of their ivory tusks. A particularly dramatic feature is also a large crystal ball supported on a saddle-like structure.  

The elephant is not native to Japan and although the depiction of this particular creature bears some semblance to one in real life, it appears to have too much skin for its body so that it appears to hang in folds in the wrong places. This suggests that the craftsmen who made it had not seen the real animal. It is worth noting that the Tokyo Zoo was first established in 1882 and two elephants, a male and a female were sent as a gift from the Emperor of Siam. While the female died in 1893, the male was sold in 1923 to an amusement park in Tokyo. Although it is possible that one or more of the craftsmen who designed it had seen an elephant in the flesh, it seems more likely that its portrayal derives from an elephant in a Buddhist context.

The white elephant, represented here by a silver beast, is one of great significance. It is considered to be the mount of the Bodhisattva Fugen who, together with his brother who rides a shishi, a lion-like beast, are both bodhisattvas of wisdom. The elephant is also significant as one of the animals present at the death and final enlightenment of the Buddha. The crystal ball, by its clarity and brightness, represents the essence of Buddha’s teaching and can thus be seen as representing Fugen. Although this elephant is redolent of Buddhist symbolism most, if not all of which would be lost on a non-Buddhist Westerner. In a Western interior such an elephant is purely decorative. It also serves another function which at first sight is not apparent. When the crystal ball is removed, the elaborate saddle-like structure on which it is supported can be removed to reveal a hidden container.

With the popularity of world fairs and Japanese domestic fairs from 1851 onwards, a large number of high-quality Japanese art objects were produced for display and sale. This silver elephant is precisely the type of item that could have been included in any such world fair.

[1] Another similar silver elephant can be found in Impey, Oliver, Malcolm Fairley and Victor Harris, ‘The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Japanese Art, vol.II, Metalwork, pt. 1, cat. 8.

For a similar koro modelled as a silver elephant in the Khalili Collection see https://www.khalilicollections.org/collections/japanese-art-of-the-meiji-period/khalili-collections-japanese-art-of-the-meiji-period-incense-burner-m72/