PAIR OF VASES WITH SIDE TABLES. BRONZE, WOOD, ETC. JAPAN, MEIJI PERIOD; LATE 19TH CENTURY.

Pair of vases with elephant-head bases. Bronze, wood, etc. Meiji period (1868–1912), Japan; Anglo-Indian school, late 19th century. Pair of patinated bronze vases made up of several pieces, raised on three curved legs and decorated on the outside with reliefs of mythological animals and beasts, enhanced with gilded details and bands of geometric motifs. They feature metal containers that fit together at the top. Both bases feature turtles with ripples creating waves; the central body features handles in the shape of dragons and phoenixes on one side and dragons on the other; the neck features more birds (herons or similar) flying among clouds. The bases are two ebonized wood side tables with elephants (heads decorated to resemble textile ornaments, with light-colored tusks) functioning as legs by curving the trunk outwards, openwork jamb, also openwork waist to secure the furniture and a top decorated with carvings and flat boards. These types of vases were one of the so-called "export" items because they were manufactured with the sole purpose of being sold to foreigners during the Meiji Era (1868-1912) in Japan, named after the reigning Emperor and in which the country began its modernization and westernization, establishing itself as a world power thanks to a certain openness to foreigners (presence and ideas), changes in government, etc. Dragons are the most powerful symbol of all the animals in Japanese art, considered deities associated with water, and attributed, for example, with the changing of the seasons (when they flew through the sky it was spring). The crane and the tortoise symbolize longevity, with the first animal in flight (in the upper area) associated with the sky and the second with the lower area (of a kimono, for example) linked to the earth. Regarding the elephant-headed side tables, it should be noted that they were highly prized pieces of furniture by the British during part of the Indian colonial era (1858-1947), with numerous examples imported to the United Kingdom, among which those present in Buckingham Palace and other noble residences are worth noting. Note the quality of the present pair, clearly evident in the animal carvings and plant motifs that complete the table. In Hindu iconography, the elephant is associated with wisdom, divine knowledge, and royal power.

· Size: 60x60x165 cms.