Composite Elephant with Monkey c. 1730

Curator: Here we have an intriguing artwork from the Harvard Art Museums, "Composite Elephant with Monkey," created by an anonymous artist. It’s a sheet measuring about 23 by 25 centimeters. What strikes you about it? Editor: It’s whimsical! There’s something fantastical in how the elephant is formed from other animals. Is it a comment on power, on the way that large entities are built up from smaller elements? Curator: The composite elephant form appears across cultures, symbolizing royal power and dominance, frequently demonstrating the ruler’s control over the animal kingdom. Here, the elephant contains images of other animals, a visual metaphor for the ruler’s domain. Editor: And it is fascinating how the artist merges naturalism with such an obvious artifice. It reminds us that even displays of power are constructed realities. Curator: Yes, and that monkey riding on top might suggest something about the precariousness of power, too. Editor: Ultimately, I think it's a reminder of the constructed nature of authority, the delicate balance within such a complex system.