Lot 3237. A small grey jade carving of an elephant, Late Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century; 2 1/4 in. (5.6 cm.) wide. Estimate HKD 40,000 - HKD 60,000. Price Realized HKD 25,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010 

The recumbent elephant carved in the round with a large rotund body supported on four stout legs, finely incised with creases, its head turned slightly to one side with its trunk resting beside its foot, the stone of an opaque light grey tone with some minor darker inclusions.  

Provenance: Acquired in the late 1980s from the Marcel Griffon Collection, Nice, France, who was a prominent dealer and collector in Middle Eastern, African and Oriental art from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 1 December 2010, Hong Kong