A cast bronze elephant striding forward with its trunk curled high above its head, its mouth open and its ears spread. The skin is chased all over with fine wrinkles, and the separately fitted tusks are set into the jaw. On the belly is a small applied copper reserve with the mark 誠谷作, "made by Seiya".
Genryusai Seiya ran one of the leading bronze workshops of Meiji Japan, the decades after 1868 when the samurai lost their swords and Japan's metalworkers turned their skills to export. His studio's animals, especially tigers, eagles and elephants, were made for the great international exhibitions and for Western buyers, who prized them for their lifelike detail. The trumpeting elephant was one of the workshop's signature models.
Condition: Good. Rich dark brown patina with light wear to the high points. The tusks are fitted separately and show age cracks along their length. No breaks or repairs to the bronze.
