Turn of the Century Bronze Bowl With Standing Elephants
Cast bronze
12 x 17 inches
 
This fabulously carved bowl of three standing elephants is robustly cast with superior craftsmanship and detailing.
Revered for their wisdom and loyalty, the elephant symbolism also represents sensitivity, strength, fortitude, stability, intelligence, peace, reliability and determination, which are all seen in the animal's nature when observed in the wild. Elephants are gentle giants, the largest land animals on Earth who show great care toward their herd, offspring, and elders. The elephant is very slow to anger and is therefore a calming, stable and patient symbol of courage, strength and resolve. The elephant is one of the most marvelous animals for its size, and intelligence and certainly for its trunk which works in dexterous ways, much like that of a human hand.
 
Elephants have been depicted in mythology, symbolism, and popular culture. They are both revered in religion and respected for the prowess in war.
 
According to Hindu cosmology of ancient India, the world is supported and guarded by the mythical world elephants at the compass points of the cardinal directions. The classical Sanskrit literature also attributes earthquakes to the shaking of their bodies when they tire. The elephant-form of the deity Ganesh, one of the most popular gods in the Hindu religious pantheon. The elephant as a vehicle of divine transport for the gods and goddesses represents wisdom, divine knowledge and royal power.
 
In Europe, the elephant became a symbol of military might from the experience of fighting foreign powers that commanded elephants on the battlefields throughout history. Captured war elephants would then be used as tools of imperial power, most notably by Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte.