Greek Letter Beaded Elephant Sculpture, Ghana, 10cm

A small carved wood elephant from Accra, blackened and polished, with panels of red and white glass seed beads laid over its head and down its back. The trunk is raised, the ears are carved proud of the head, and it stands on its own four feet on a desk or a shelf. The beadwork carries three Greek letters, theta, sigma and delta, running down the back panel, with a second panel across the forehead. The second photograph is the view from behind and it is the one that shows them. Everything else is left as bare carved wood, so the beading reads as a saddle cloth on a plain black animal rather than as decoration all over. It is small, about 8 by 10cm, so it suits a desk, a bookshelf or a windowsill rather than a mantelpiece. Beaded by hand one at a time, so no two panels are identical. Carved wood with glass seed beads. Dust it with a dry soft brush.