The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Pendant in the Shape of a Fish-Tailed Elephant

Pendant in the Shape of a Fish-Tailed Elephant

185–72 BCE
(185–78 BCE)
gold
John L. Severance Fund 1973.63
Location: 242A Ancient India

Description

Because of water's life-giving properties, animals such as fish and Indian elephants who love the water were considered auspicious. This composite elephant with a playfully raised trunk and a curling fish tail would have been strung as a pendant on a necklace.
  • "The Year in Review for 1973." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 61, no. 2 (1974): 31-78. Mentioned: no. 180, p. 79 www.jstor.org
    Sengupta, Arputha Rani. Buddhist Jewels in Mortuary Cult: Magic Symbols. Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan, 2019. Reproduced: Vol. 1, P. 144, fig. 3.39a; Mentioned: Vol. 1, P. 149
  • {{cite web|title=Pendant in the Shape of a Fish-Tailed Elephant|url=false|author=|year=185–72 BCE|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1973.63