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Lot Essay
The present cup was used as a wine vessel. It is finely incised with two horizontal bands of cloud vapours around the exterior, and set within a gilt-bronze frame with bears as relief decoration above each foot and around the handle.
The bear is one of the most important animals in Han culture, symbolising power and strength. In Han art, bears are frequently depicted on the legs of vessels, as exemplified by the present example, showcasing their ability to bear heavy loads. Bears are also represented as weights, such as a gilt-bronze bear from the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection (fig.1), serving as an embodiment of strength.
Compare with a similar jade-inset gilt-bronze cup with nine panels in the Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King, illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji-4-Qin, Han, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, Hebei, 1993, no. 86 (fig. 2).
The bear is one of the most important animals in Han culture, symbolising power and strength. In Han art, bears are frequently depicted on the legs of vessels, as exemplified by the present example, showcasing their ability to bear heavy loads. Bears are also represented as weights, such as a gilt-bronze bear from the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection (fig.1), serving as an embodiment of strength.
Compare with a similar jade-inset gilt-bronze cup with nine panels in the Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King, illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji-4-Qin, Han, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, Hebei, 1993, no. 86 (fig. 2).