http://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/44111/fullEnamelled Copper Crane Figurine20th centuryOverall: 21 7/8 x 12 1/2 in. (55.6 x 31.8cm)Enameled copper alloy54.46.21This crane sculpture (one of a pair) was made in the twentieth century in Jaipur, a city in the northeastern Indian state of Rajasthan. The crane poses with its neck erect and both feet resting on a circular stand. The copper surface is embellished with enamel in a feather-like pattern.
This elegant bird may be a sarus crane, a species found throughout the northern and northwest lowlands of India, along the Ganges River. The fourth Mughal emperor Jahangir (r. 1605—1627 CE) took a great interest in natural history, and made detailed observations of the egg-laying habits of these cranes. In India, it was commonly believed that sarus cranes mate for life, and therefore represented love and good fortune. Jahangir was known to keep two cranes, which he named Layla and Majnun after the two lovers from the famous Persian legend of the same name.Metalwork31.750000000055.56250000001648395446