Cleveland Museum of Art
Mat Weight in the Form of a Bear
- Date
- 202 BCE–9 CE
- Medium
- gilt bronze
- Culture
- China, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE)
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
The bear imagery was particularly popular during the Han dynasty and was a metaphor of heroic power. This heavy, solid bear was probably used as a mat weight; other small squatting bears often served as the legs of vessels. Bear imagery, which symbolized heroic power, was particularly popular during the Han dynasty.
The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Cleveland Museum of Art and other institutions.
Mat weight in the form of a leopard attacking a bear
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Cylindrical Jar
Cleveland Museum of Art
Statue of a Bear
Getty Museum
Weight in the Form of a Coiled Animal
Cleveland Museum of Art
Phoenix weight, one of a pair
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Phoenix weight, one of a pair
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Stone weight (or child's tether?)
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Tripod Cylindrical Jar (Lian or Zun) with Creatures Amid Hills, Bear-Shaped Feet
Art Institute of Chicago
Equestrian figure
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Balance Weight formed as the Bust of an Empress
Cleveland Museum of Art
Weight
Getty Museum
Pedestal with Squatting Bear
Art Institute of Chicago