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Bear-Shaped Drinking Vessel

Bear-Shaped Drinking Vessel

Artist/Maker
Date1710–50
MediumStoneware with salt and manganese glazes
DimensionsOverall: 10 1/4 × 7 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (26 × 19.1 × 14 cm)
Credit LineFriends of Art Fund
Object number1975.65A-B
Status
Not on view
More Information
This bear-shaped drinking vessel would have brought amusement to a civilized table. It references the sport of bear baiting, where chained bears were forced to fight animals, primarily dogs. Practiced between 1100 and 1800, bear baiting became a popular activity among the lower class. As a container for liquor, this vessel also highlighted the rowdy and animalistic nature of drunkenness and overconsumption.
Exhibition History
Class, Colonialism, and (Over)Consumption
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (August 24, 2023 - May 31, 2024 )
Collections
  • European
  • On View
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator. Noticed a mistake? Have some extra information about this object? Please contact us.