Here people are shown washing an elephant using ladders, pails, and brooms. This subject is thought to derive from an “Elephant Washing” event held at the Imperial Court in Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1912). At this annual event, held at the height of summer in the sixth month, an elephant kept at the court was washed. This piece reflects a taste for the exotic during the late Edo period (1603–1868).