Meenakari Enamel Elephant From Varanasi - Ca 1950 Ganesh This lovely antique Chinese gouache

This lovely antique Chinese gouache painting is of a Chinese pleasure boat from Canton

Woods used are elm

Salvaged from an old building in Bikaner

But it could also be used free standing on a sturdy shelf

Meenakari Enamel Elephant From Varanasi - Ca 1950 Ganesh This lovely antique Chinese gouacheThis charming enameled silver elephant has two mahouts (riders) on its back shaded with a large cover known as a 'hathi howdah'. It dates from 1950 and is made using the meenakari technique which metal surfaces are painted with enamels. The enamel palette with pink hues is usually ascribed to the enameling centre of Benares (Varanasi). Similar polychrome enamelled elephant models were offered at Christie's South Kensington, 9 October 2015, lot 79; and