Gilt-bronze Bear-shaped Table Legs

Unknown artist

Nangnang Commandery

Metal

National Museum of Korea

Four gilt-bronze table legs are shaped like seated bears with open mouths and green eyes. They are arranged in a row against a plain gray background. These four table legs in the shape of squatting bears were attached to the four corners of a rectangular table. They are shown with the left knee bent and the right knee raised upright, with their arms raised to support the top board of the table. During the Han Dynasty of China, a bear was regarded as a propitious animal and was thus a common feature of many patterns and ornaments. Accession number: Bongwan4799