Gilt bronze bear

A rare bronze scroll weight with a golden patina, depicting a seated bear. Its right paw is placed behind its head, while the other rests on one of its hind paws. It has a rounded belly and pendulous teats. The head is slightly raised, with the open mouth revealing rows of fangs, hemispherical ears and bulging eyes. The fur is finely incised throughout.

Figures of this type were intended to serve as weights, notably to hold bamboo mats or silk scrolls in place during reading or scholarly pursuits. Hollow examples were generally filled with a denser metal, such as lead, to increase their weight and effectiveness. In some cases, these figures could also serve as furniture fittings or vase supports.
The depiction of the bear belongs to an ancient iconographic tradition. An emblematic animal since the Shang dynasty, as evidenced by jade examples found notably in the tomb of Fu Hao at Anyang, it is associated with strength, virility and protection. During the Han dynasty, the bear was also linked to notions of military power, shamanism and immortality. Chinese foundation myths further connect the animal with the Yellow Emperor and his descendant Yu the Great, reinforcing its symbolic role in the imperial imagination.
Often depicted in frontal, hieratic poses, the bear here adopts a freer posture, reflecting an interest in observing the natural world. This type of bronze thus belongs to a tradition of objects that are both functional and symbolic, in which an everyday item embodies protective and cosmological meanings.