The Cheerful Elephant — bronze sculpture

A round, portly elephant with big bulging eyes and a raised trunk looks as though it has just heard something funny. The form is deliberately exaggerated and simplified — a heavy body, short legs, small stubby toes — and the whole thing radiates warmth and good humour. It is the kind of sculpture that lightens a room and earns a smile every time you catch sight of it. The piece is handmade: cast in bronze, then hand-worked and hand-patinated.

This is handcrafted work with a softly modelled, smooth surface, brought to life by golden highlights on the ears, eyes, trunk and toenails. The patina in grey-green and sandy tones is applied by hand, so its depth and the placement of the gold accents differ on every casting. The compact, stable form needs no base and displays beautifully on a sideboard, desk, shelf or in a child's room. An endearing gift for a birthday, a housewarming or a new baby — and for anyone who enjoys animal sculpture with a sense of humour.