Roundel: Bear
300-100 BCE
Description
Horse harness ornament in the shape of a roundel with the depiction of a bear with protruding tongue; the paws are arranged below the frontal head and the animal's muzzle forms the roundel's center. The rounded ears are typical for representations of bears of the Western Han period. The mercury gilding suggests manufacture in China rather than among the tribes to the north, where the bear motif originated. The roundel is framed by a hatched border. It is hollow below and attached to a square, cage-like structure, likley for a harness strap crossing. Green patina over a brown corrosion layer; significant traces of mercury gilding on the relief.
Dimensions
3.1 x 3.5 cm (1 1/4 x 1 3/8 in.)
Provenance
William D. Vogel (H’30), Milwaukee, WI (by 1930-1980), inherited; by Virginia Booth Vogel, Milwaukee, WI (1980-1998), by descent; to Frederick Vogel III, Milwaukee, WI (1998-2016), gift; to The Harvard Art Museums.
Related Artworks
View MoreBronze
11th-8th century BCEChineseMixed copper alloy
3rd century CERomanLeaded bronze
6th-3rd century BCEEtruscanBronze
10th-8th century BCEIranianKaga inlay work: iron with decoration inlaid in sahari (an alloy of copper, tin, and lead); interiors lined with lacquer
19th centuryJapaneseBronze
10th-8th century BCEChineseCast bronze with gold and silver inlay
5th-3rd century BCEChineseIron
Cast bronze with gold and silver inlay and with yellow and blue glass inlay
5th-3rd century BCEChinese
Bronze
1st century CEBronze
8th-7th century BCEItalicBronze with turquoise inlay
16th-11th century BCEChinese