Handle in the shape of a Beast Mask with a Small Bear
Artist/Culture
Chinese
DateHan Dynasty
Mediumbronze, gilt
Dimensions10.3 x 13.3 x 3.7 cm (4 1/16 x 5 1/4 x 1 7/16 in.)
ClassificationsMetalwork
Credit LineJerome Wheelock Fund
Object number1955.2
Label TextThe bear, once common in China, was a very popular symbol of strength and bravery associated during the Warring States period and Han dynasty with Chiyu, the God of War. The female bear was associated with a legend that told how the white fur of a mother bear turned black as she, in grief, tore up the ground and wiped her eyes. The mother bear was mourning the death of a young girl who had sacrificed her life protecting the mother bear's cub against an attacking leopard.
The gilt, cast-bronze handle is shaped like a taotie (lit. "glutton"), a beast mask with bared teeth; its protective symbolism is enhanced by a small, realistic depiction of a bear. Since tiger bones have been excavated from the Shang dynasty layer at Anyang (ca. 1400-1050 BCE), scholars believe that the taotie, a prevalent motif on ancient ceremonial bronze vessels, derives from the tiger. Originally complete with a ring, the handle was once attached to a royal coffin.ProvenanceMathias Komor, 38 East 51st Street, New York, NYOn View
On viewCurrent Location
- Exhibition Location Gallery 110
Chinese
Qianlong period (1736–1795) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Chinese
Ming Dynasty (1368–1911), late 16th to mid–17th century
