This last weekend I picked up a pair of ceramic white elephants at a consignment shop (not to be confused with a white elephant sale) to use as side tables out in the garden.
I have always been fond of these wise and strong behemoths that have long lives and are known for their perseverance…..and whose tusks are used as an aphrodisiac.
Alexander the Great used them as war machines and Queen Victoria used smaller replicas for potted palms. In the 19th Century, Royalty around the world exchanged Elephants as exotic gifts and the mighty elephant, an emblem of power and authority, has been draped in silks and bangles and used as a moving throne.
As a decorative motif the elephant is versatile….we find his image outlined in textiles, wallcoverings, artwork, painted on porcelain and engraved in cutlery.
The elephant still captures our imagination and appeals to our aesthetic….long live the mighty elephant.
