This remarkable Baccarat tantalus in the form of an elephant and howdah sold at Can$120,000 (£75,000) at an auction in Victoria, British Columbia.
The c.1886 cut glass and gilt-bronze pachyderm carrying liquor decanters in its howdah and glasses at its side, was commissioned from the French factory by the American entrepreneur, engineer and inventor George Westinghouse (1846-1914).
It was a gift for his wife, Margaret Erskine Walker Westinghouse whose initials MEWW appear to one of the glass elements. It is thought a similar model was designed for display at the 1878 Exposition Universelle (world’s fair) in Paris.