2-727-290 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Dog, 25-220. Modeled with a lively naturalism and light humor, the dog and the bear in this case reflect the worldly tastes of Han China. They differ from the solemn animal imageries in ritual bronze vessels, which served as the medium for communication with the supernatural realms. The Han people held beliefs in a worldly paradise and an otherworldly realm of eternal life and happiness.