Shona Elephant Paperweight

Zimbabwe’s Shona people are world-renowned for the beauty of their abstract sculptures—a tribal artform thousands of years old. This fine example—an elephant, symbolizing strength, patience and longevity—is carved from artisan-selected and -quarried serpentine stone, which has been chiseled and polished by hand, then heated over fire to bring out the stone’s inherent colors. Natural variations will occur with this Shona Elephant Paperweight.  1.5"h. x 4"l. x 4"w.

Museum Provenance

Imagine yourself a traveler in Africa or Asia. Awed by the sights, you wander through the local shops, searching for something special to bring home to represent the cultures you’ve seen. Shop our mini world market and delight in these artisan offerings from Africa and India. Each of these lovely treasures is representative of holdings in our National Museums of African Art and Natural History.

Every Smithsonian purchase will arrive with a museum provenance card explaining how it is adapted from or inspired by an object or objects in our collection.