Vase with elephant-headed handles
This vase turns away from the dense decoration of archaistic bronzes yet conveys an antique look. The bladelike motifs derive from ancient ritual bronzes, but the long flaring neck and bulbous body are features of thirteenth- to fifteenth-century ceramics. Notably, its handles feature elephant heads, a sacred animal in Buddhism. This decor would have been appropriate as a flower vase for Buddhist practitioners or in a monastery.
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