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120
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CHINA, Han period Rare gilt patinated bronze scroll weight r…
See original version (French)
120
-
CHINA, Han period Rare gilt patinated bronze scroll weight r…
See original version (French)
Estimate €10,000 - €15,000
Voluntary lot
Description
CHINA, Han period
Rare gilt patinated bronze scroll weight representing a seated bear. The right paw placed behind the head, the other resting on one of the hind paws, the belly bulging and the udders hanging. The head is slightly raised and the mouth open, revealing rows of fangs, half-spherical ears and bulbous eyes. The coat is finely incised throughout.
Height: 7.5 cm
Width: 7.8 cm
This type of figure was used as a weight, in particular to hold bamboo mats or silk scrolls in place during reading or literary activities. Hollow examples were generally filled with a denser metal, such as lead, to increase their weight and effectiveness. In some cases, these figures could also be used as furniture or vase supports. The representation of the bear is part of an ancient iconographic repertoire. An emblematic animal since the Shang period, as evidenced by jade figures from the tomb of Fu Hao in Anyang, it is associated with strength, virility and protection. Under the Han, the bear was also associated with notions of military power, shamanism and immortality. Chinese founding myths also linked this animal to the figure of the Yellow Emperor and his descendant Yu the Great, reinforcing its symbolic role in the imperial imagination. Often depicted in frontal, hieratic attitudes, here the bear adopts a freer stance, reflecting an interest in observing living things. This type of bronze is thus part of a production that is both utilitarian and symbolic, where everyday objects become bearers of protective and cosmological values.
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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