A PAIR OF CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE ELEPHANTS Mounted by Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892), the elephants Jiaqing, the mounts second half of 19th Century The beasts exquisitely enamelled a bright sky-blue with gilt-bronze wave-patterns simulating the thick hide, with their heads turned to the side, lotus-leaf ears and almond-shaped eyes above sharp tusks, caparisoned with saddle cloths decorated with chimes and auspicious bats, surmounted by vases, all supported on waisted rectangular gilt-bronze stands signed F. Barbedienne. Each 27cm (10 5/8in) high. (2). Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 清嘉慶 銅胎掐絲琺琅鎏金象一對 十九世紀下半葉 Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) 作後配飾 The elephants (xiang 象) bearing vases (ping 瓶) form a rebus for taiping youxiang (太平有象), conveying the wish for 'peace and stability with auspicious portents'. In Chinese symbolism, the elephant signifies strength, wisdom, and the ability to attract good fortune, while the vase, a homophone for 'peace' (ping 平), reinforces this auspicious meaning. The bats (fu 蝠) decorating the saddle cloths symbolise blessings and happiness, while the chimes (qing 磬), sharing a homophonic association with celebration and felicity (qing 慶), together expresses wishes for fuqing (福慶), or 'happiness and rejoicing'. Elephants occupied a distinctive ceremonial role at the Qing court, where they were maintained in the Imperial capital of Beijing and deployed in major state processions, particularly those associated with Imperial audiences and ritual occasions. Housed in official stables near Xuanwumen, they were incorporated into the bureaucratic structure of the court and treated in a manner analogous to officials, with their behaviour carefully monitored, graded, and subject to systems of reward and punishment. Many of these elephants were presented as tribute from Southeast Asian polities, notably from regions such as Annam and Siam, and thus functioned as highly visible symbols of the Qing empire's diplomatic reach and prestige. Contemporary accounts further record that the animals were regularly led to bathe in the city moat near their quarters, an event that drew large crowds and became a well-known spectacle within the life of the capital, reflecting both their rarity and their cultural fascination. Ferdinand Barbedienne (1810-1892) was one of the most distinguished bronziers of the nineteenth century, and contributed to the decoration of the Empress Eugénie's Chinese Pavilion at the Château de Fontainebleau. A related pair of elephants was sold by Sotheby's New York, 19th March 2007, lot 552. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing