This exceptional piece of French Gien faience majolica is a large container, possibly a humidor? In the form of an elephant carrying a covered box that looks like a howdah on its back. It has a monkey smoking a pipe riding behind its head with his tail being pulled by a blackamoor character standing on the side. It has relief Persian patterns around the sides of the covered box, as well as the tassels on either side. There is also Persian writing on the raised plaques on the sides of the container. The entire piece is finished in a glaze of rich colors. Both the base and the underside of the box is marked Gien. It dates from the 19th Century and measures an impressive 16 inches tall to the top of the finial by 12 1/8 inches long at the base and 8 inches wide at the base. It is in excellent condition considering its age and displays beautifully. There are cracks and repairs underneath and inside, but nothing visible unless turned upside down and inspected. There are cracks underneath the main base that seem to have old repairs. There is a crack on the inside of the main base and may have been original to the manufacture. I state this because there are holes along the cracks, usually put there to stop the crack and glaze over them. There also is a repaired crack on the inside of the top container. Also, I’m not sure but there may be a repair to the tusks or it’s just how they were assembled. The piece is sound, meaning stable with no evidence of coming apart and is very heavy! Please see all photos and feel free to ask questions. Stunning example of antique French Majolica! If you need more photos, or of something specific in reference to this piece, please contact me. Feel free to ask any questions about this item. ALL ITEMS COME FROM A CLEAN, NON-SMOKING HOME! This is a great system if we all follow the rules and play nice. If I have undercharged, you get a good deal! If upon receiving the item, there are any problems save all packing materials and contact me immediately. Please check back for more items. The item “Antique Gien French Faience Majolica Pottery Elephant Blackamoor Howdah Containr” is in sale since Thursday, April 11, 2019. This item is in the category “Pottery & Glass\Pottery & China\Art Pottery\Majolica”. The seller is “av8-navig8″ and is located in Frazier Park, California. This item can be shipped to United States.