Somewhere around ten years ago this enigmatic sculpture was listed simply enough as a “vintage elephant figure”. I was convinced then and remain so to this day that this is an object of great antiquity. I call him “Seated Boy on Elephant Waiting for the Journey to Begin”. What a journey indeed should I turn out to be right!
My opinion, for which evidence is scant, is that “Seated Boy on Elephant” (for short) is a type of Chinese porcelain from the late Southern Song period (1127 – 1279). I propose that it is an exceedingly rare Longquan ware dark body figure.
Longquan celadon of the late Southern Song is known for the tiny bubbles that give it its soft appearance just as the glaze exhibits here. Longquan potters produced both light and dark body wares during the late southern Song period so it is possible at the very least.
There is a water dropper in the Philadelphia Museum of Art that bares an uncanny resemblance to “Seated Boy on Elephant”. It is identified as a Qingbai ware from the Yuan dynasty (1271 – 1368). Qingbai was contemporary with Longquan but produced in a different pottery centre with different materials. There is no denying however that these two figures share certain similarities of form and subject matter.
It’s hard to capture the sublime quality of this figure in images. The camera finds a crisp silhouette with defined edges just as it would with any other figure. The camera does well at conveying how the surface can at times appear as if it were carved from precious stone.
There is an aspect to this figure that the camera does not capture. Put “Seated Boy on Elephant” in a room and something strange can occur. When lighting conditions are right, the figure looks blurry and out of focus when you glance at it. For a moment you think your eyes are failing but everything around it still looks sharp and defined. It’s the oddest feeling. Even after all these years it never fails to transfix.
A thermoluminescence test might be the ultimate way to determine the true age. I would rather know that I was wrong than not know if I was right. I hope that opportunity presents itself one day soon.
For now “Seated Boy on Elephant” remains a figure of wonder and great mystery.
17.3 cm in height.
