Quick Specs
- Type: Wall hanging with an elephant head and eye beads
- Size: 10 by 3 inches
- Elephant: Silver-toned head with openwork scrolled ears, patterned trunk and curved tusks
- Accents: Rows of small blue stones along the ears and at the eyes; two eye beads on the forehead
- Details: Pointed-petal flower with an eye bead above; two tiny elephant-head charms; round blue eye bead below on a chain
A Front-Facing Elephant in Silver and Blue
The elephant faces forward and fills most of the hanging. Its ears are openwork silver-toned metal, scrolled along the top edge and striped with leaf-like bands, and a row of small blue stones follows the inner band of each ear. Two more blue stones sit at its eyes. A fine geometric pattern of layered arches covers the forehead and runs down the trunk in zigzag bands, and the trunk finishes in a curl at the bottom. Two tusks curve down on either side of the trunk. Two small eye beads are stacked on the forehead, one above the other, and a tiny elephant-head charm hangs below each ear. Above the head, a silver-toned flower with pointed petals holds a third eye bead at its center. A chain drops from the trunk to a large round eye bead, deep blue with a white ring, a light blue center and a black pupil. The hanging is 10 inches long and 3 inches wide, with the ears setting the width.
In South Asian art and religion the elephant stands for strength and royal power, with divine associations. A cultural-history article describes its combined symbolism of power and divinity, and a reference work links the elephant with Ganesha and with Indra, who is said to ride the white elephant Airavata. The eye beads belong to a different belief, the evil eye, the idea that a harmful glance, usually inspired by envy, can bring misfortune. A museum catalogue says evil eye amulets are worn or carried and that every design includes an eye motif, realistic or highly stylised. Here the motif repeats in the flower above, twice on the forehead and in the large bead at the bottom, and the elephant’s blue stones echo the blue of the beads. The hanging puts the two emblems together as a decorative design, a strong face in the middle with eyes at its top and at its foot. The silver tone ties the pieces together, and the blue of the stones echoes the blue of the beads.
Practical Ways to Display It
The elephant is a face-on piece, so hang it where a face reads well: an entryway wall, above a console table, beside a front door or on a plain stretch of wall in a living room. At 3 inches wide it fits a narrow gap between frames, and the chain at the top takes a small nail or hook. Leave several inches of clear space below the trunk so the chain and the large eye bead can swing. The rows of blue stones along the ears catch light from a lamp or a window. A hook beside a mirror or a window frame also works, since the narrow width leaves room for a neighbor on each side. It also makes a good gift for anyone who collects elephant figures. For more pieces made to hang, see my wall hangings collection.
How to Hang and Care for the Elephant Hanging
Three steps cover choosing the wall, hanging the chain and dusting the openwork.
- Choose a Face-On Wall
Hold the hanging against the wall at eye level and step back. The elephant looks straight out, so a plain wall or a doorway side behind it shows the openwork ears best. Check that nothing sits within reach of the chain and the large eye bead below the trunk, since they swing when a door opens.
- Hang the Chain
Set a small nail or hook into the wall and slip the chain at the top over it. Let the hanging settle, then check that the head sits upright and the eye bead hangs straight below the trunk. If the ears tilt, shift the chain along the hook until both sides look level.
- Dust the Openwork
Dust the head, the ears and the trunk with a soft dry brush every few weeks, working into the scrolls and bands where dust collects. Wipe the eye beads and the blue stones lightly with a dry cloth. Take the hanging down before you paint or clean the wall around it.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock this hanging because it gives an elephant, an eye flower and a traditional-style blue eye bead one narrow frame, 10 by 3 inches, made for a wall or a doorway. The elephant belongs to the religious and artistic life of South Asia, and the evil eye belief is a living folk custom across the Mediterranean, the Middle East and beyond. This hanging is a decorative reference to both, never a substitute for the customs of the people who keep them. If either is part of your family’s tradition, follow the customs you were taught. If it’s new to you, learn where it comes from before you decide what it means in your home. See my evil eye collection for more pieces that carry the eye.
Frequently Asked Questions
In South Asia decorated elephants served as status symbols. An article on elephant regalia says kings rode them in public and that their decoration was as elaborate as the emperor's, and Wikipedia notes that Mughal miniatures show elephants ridden for battle and royal transport. Decorated elephants are still saved for grand occasions and religious festive processions. On this hanging the forehead, the ears and the trunk carry patterned ornament.
No. A museum catalogue says designs vary, though all include an eye motif that can be realistic or highly stylised. Wikipedia also lists the hamsa, the Italian cornicello made with red coral, and the red ribbon attached to a baby or an object in South America to draw the gaze away. The blue eye bead is one form among many.
Accounts of the nazar describe beads hung in homes, cars and shops, pinned to a newborn's clothing and tied to horses, which are considered especially vulnerable. Wikipedia says the nazar is most often seen in Turkey, hung in or on homes and vehicles or worn as beads. Customs differ between families and regions, so follow the practice you grew up with if you have one.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet