Elephant whistle

The popularity of miniature toys sparked their production at many kilns which turned out vast numbers of toys with diverse iconographies during the Tang period to meet the demands of domestic and overseas markets. In the changsha kilns, toy manufacture proliferated, especially from the middle ninth to the early tenth century. The repertoire of potters there was vast, including representations of animals, human figures, and everyday utensils. Toys were created by hand-sculpting, wheel-finishing, and molding, and frequently were decorated with slip underlying monochrome or polychrome glazes. Elephant statues such as this demonstrate the potters' ability to combine a humorous portrayal with the animal's realistic attributes (KGXB 1980.1: 86, figs. 12-14).