Elephant-shaped incense burner

Painted, lacquered and partially gilt wood; eyes inlaid in crystal
23.3 by 39.5 x 21 cm

Provenance:
Jacques and Galila Hollander Collection

Representations of elephants (zo) began to appear in Japanese sculptures and paintings during the early Heian Period (794-1185), often associated with the depiction of Samantabhadra (Fugen bosatsu) or other buddhist images. In Mahayana Buddhism Samantabhadra is almost always depicted together with Mañjusri (Monju bosatsu), the bodhisattvaof wisdom, and they usually form a triad with Buddha Sâkyamuni in the middle. Fugen is also venerated as defender of the Lotus Sutra, a role that brought him many followers in Japan, mainly among the devotees of the Tendai and Shingon sects and among the followers of the monk Nichiren. In ancient sacred texts Fugen is described riding a white elephant, a sacred animal in the Indian tradition, with six tusks, each of them symbolizing one of the sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind).
Japanese artists engaged in Fugen’s iconography found inspiration mainly in religious works of art imported from China. Chinese paintings and objects were also used as models to depict elephants, since this animal did not exist in Japan. People had only few occasions to see a living elephant: the first recorded arrival in Japan of a pachyderm dates back to 1408, about five centuries after the earliest depictions of Fugen bosatsu; another elephant reached Kyoto in 1597 as a gift to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and two others arrived in 1728 on board of a Vietnamese ship, even if only one was able to survive the two months journey[1].
Most of Japanese artists in fact never had the occasion to study the real anatomy of the elephant and they used to represent its forms in a very creative way; this feature can
be also found on the representations of Baku, a creature of the Japanese mythology described with body, tusks and trunk of an elephant, thick spotted fur and tiger's paws.
This incense burner is shaped following the traditional Japanese representations of the animal: the body is so large compared to the paws that the prominent belly almost touches the floor and the ears’ shape is completely invented, resembling the elegant folds of a kimono’s long sleeves. The tail is that of a horse and the open smiling mouth together with the half-closed eyes give to the creature an almost human expression. The elephant is placed on an octagonal base and wears an elaborate harness with a large lotus flower placed on top, as if Fugen had to sit on it. The lotus can be opened to access the incense’s compartment and is fitted with holes from wich the fragrant smoke would come out, forming an ingenious and refined composition.
The whole external surface of the sculpture is lacquered, with the white color of the skin that is a direct reference to Fugen bosatsu. A lush texture of gold peonies decorates the saddle pad and the borders on the base, while thin and sinuous lines enrich the girth and the leaves of the red lacquered lotus flower.
A similar kozo is preserved in the Jorakuji temple[2] and another one is in the Für Ostasiatische Kunst Museum in Cologne: apart from some differences (smaller dimensions, the animal is depicted lying down and the cover is in bronze), the piece in the German museum shows  very similar style and techiniques of execution[3]. The comparison with these two pieces is useful to date this incense burner to the 17^th Century, in the early Edo Period. Other similar Buddhist sculptures are the wooden statues of Fugen and Monju at the British Museum, made in the early 17^th Century by Koyu, an artist working in the style of Unkei (1153-1224)[4].