Elephants were not indigenous to Japan, and Japanese potters must have relied on prints or paintings depicting elephants in the Buddha’s entourage for their iconography. Early Kakiemon figures were made exclusively for export, and such curiosities were highly appreciated in the West. At first glace, this animal model is reminiscent of the original Kakiemon porcelain figure of an elephant first created in Japan in the 17th century (see Figure 160 in “Porcelain for Palaces: The Fashion for Japan in Europe 1650-1750”), but the enamels and the porcelain paste and glaze on this elephant are all indicative that it is a later Meiji period model made in the Arita region of Japan. Similar Kakiemon-style porcelain elephant models were also copied in France in the 19th century by Samson, and such figures are as valuable as their Japanese counterparts when they show up from time to time in major European salesrooms. Condition is excellent, with only a few minor kiln impurities on the porcelain. Dimensions: 9 ½” long, 9 ½” high, 4” wide.