A painted gray pottery bear-form lampstand Han Dynasty

the columnar stand with widely flared stepped base encircled by three horizontal bands at the mid-section, pierced through with a D-shaped aperture to receive a lamp, traces of white pigment, surmounted by a plump bear-form finial, the kneeling animal with large head raised high and modeled with horns between short ears, with heavy lidded eyes and wide mouth, covered with extensive traces of red and white pigment

Collection of Captain S. N. Ferris Luboshez, USN (ret'd) (until 1982).
Sotheby's New York, 18th November 1982, lot 24.
Thereafter with the present owners.

Chinese Art from the Ferris Luboshez Collection, University of Maryland Art Gallery, Maryland, 1972, cat. no. 48.

Inspected under UV light and appears to be in good condition. Remnants of red pigment on the bear, with expected wear and flaking to the white pigment throughout.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The shape of this lampstand follows a metal prototype such as the bronze lamp and stand of the Eastern Han dynasty excavated in 1970 at Zhangzhuangqiao, Handan county, Hebei province, illustrated in Hebei sheng chutu wenwu xuanji, Beijing, 1980, pl. 271.  For examples of gray pottery lamp stands of this type see a related piece published in Ezekiel Schloss, Ancient Chinese Ceramic Sculpture from Han through Tang, 2 vols., Conn., 1977, vol. II, pl. 7B; one included in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 141; and a third lampstand offered in these rooms, 1st June 1988, lot 63.

Bears were especially popular during the Han dynasty, not for any known position in Chinese mythology but possibly for its physical strength and power. Bears were depicted on Han vessels and were used as legs on granaries, as weights or as finials on stands as seen on this piece.