Oil Ampulla in the Form of a Dancing Bear (Q60756825)

Label from: English (en)

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collection: Cleveland Museum of Art (Q657415)
location: Cleveland Museum of Art (Q657415)
depicts: bear (Q30090244)
instance of: sculpture (Q860861)

catalog URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.102

information from the Cleveland Museum of Art catalog

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.

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