Vintage Hand Painted Indian Elephant

An elephant in procession, carved in wood and painted by hand, its flanks patterned with flowers and its back carrying a canopied howdah.
 
Inside sit two figures, faces turned to the side as if taking in the view. Pieces like this were made in Rajasthan through the mid-20th century, echoing the grandeur of earlier royal parades where elephants were dressed in embroidered cloth and bells, carrying nobles or wedding couples through the streets.
 
The paint is worn in places, which only adds to the sense that this elephant has been on the move for some time.