Oil Ampulla in the Form of a Dancing Bear

Description

This bronze bear sits on its hindquarters with its front paws raised, head slightly turned left, and mouth gaping open. It wears a collar around its neck with two rings on either side, where a chain would be passed through to suspend the ampulla. The bear’s head is hinged at the back of the collar to open the vessel, with the lower jaw forming a spout. The eyes were once pierced to prevent an airlock within the ampulla. Bears, like many other animals in antiquity, were used as a form of entertainment, demonstrated here by the bear’s “dancing” pose.

Provenance

Istanbul (c. 1967); DeClerq Collection; (Mathias Komor, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?-1972); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1972-)

Oil Ampulla in the Form of a Dancing Bear

[]

200s CE

Accession Number

1972.102

Medium

bronze

Dimensions

Overall: 14.6 x 10.4 x 9.5 cm (5 3/4 x 4 1/8 x 3 3/4 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund