Carved from a small limestone monolith, this statuette is certainly one of the first three-dimensional images of elephant in Near Eastern art; moreover, these large mammals were rarely represented in the rich animal iconography of this prominent culture.
Modeled from a small terracotta plaque, this figurine belongs to a large group of statuettes known as “pappadès”, because of their polos (a high cylindrical hat) that makes them look like Orthodox priests.
The figurine is flat and slightly rounded. The shield-shaped outline, typical of these idols known as “schematic”, probably represents the silhouette of a seated human body, but without any volume.