Two Bears

Chinese, Western Han Dynasty (206 BD–AD 9)
Gilded bronze, 6.1 in high
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

These sculptures express their function as mat weights. The bears rest heavily on the ground; they sit somewhat awkwardly, mouths agape. Originally entirely covered with gold, they were dazzling, precious objects, carefully observed from reality.

Although the four bears exhibited here are not part of the same set, they are of very similar design and are unusually large. Three of the bears are the largest mat weights known. The bears vary subtly in design and pose.