A Chinese Carved Gray Limestone Elephant

Tang dynasty (618-907), gray limestone covered with a white slip, the elephant stands atop a rectangular plinth with its head titled downwards, its curling trunk resting on the plinth below, the large almond shaped eyes and facial wrinkles are delicately rendered with incised lines, its ears and tusks are finely carved and each leg has three distinct toes with toenails.


6 x 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.

From the Collection of Adrienne and John C. Maxwell, Jr. John C. Maxwell Jr. assembled one of the most distinguished private collections of Asian art in the American South, with a particular focus on Chinese, Korean, and Japanese works spanning antiquity through the late imperial period. A financier and respected market analyst by profession, Maxwell developed his interest in Asian art during his military service in Korea in the early 1950s. What began as personal study evolved into a lifelong commitment to collecting, scholarship, and connoisseurship.

The collection formed by Maxwell and his wife Adrienne reflects Maxwell’s highly analytical eye and preference for works possessing strong historical character, refined craftsmanship, and clear cultural significance. Numerous objects from the collection together with their private library of 1,200 scholarly Asian art journals and books were gifted to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where they became part of the museum’s Maxwell East Asian Collection.

Weisbrod Chinese Art Ltd., New York
Published in "Searching for Immortality: Autumn 2000" exhibition catalog for Weisbrod Chinese Art Ltd., New York: September 19- October 6, 2000.
Purchased from the above in 2000. *Catalog not included with this lot.

Good condition; some losses to tail, lower left foot, ears, and to edges of plinth; losses to slip glaze to one side of elephant's belly; some cracks to back and head of the elephant.