A green-glazed pottery 'bear' lampstandEastern Han Dynasty|The columnar stand with a spreading, stepped base, pierced with a triangular aperture on which sits a bear, naturalistically rendered with lidded eyes, well-defined ruff around its face, mouth open to reveal the teeth and forepaws rested on the knees, supporting the hollow stem decorated with two encircling lines and the wide, round tray. 39.8cm (16 6/8in) high|東漢 陶胎青釉熊羆燈架|Published and Illustrated; R.Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works of Art and Ceramics. Winter Exhibition, 2003, p.25, fig.20.|During the Han dynasty lamps replaced candles as the main source of light, becoming important household items and extravagant models were made for high-ranking members of society. In burials, lamps served as apotropaic devices providing light to the deceased's journey through the increasingly alienated, gloomy, and dangerous underworld. Inhabiting the forests of northern China; bears may have also been deemed to protect the tomb occupant. The word for bear (xiong 熊), is homophone for 'brave and powerful' (xiong 雄), and the 'Rites of Zhou' (Zhou Li 周禮), edited during the Han dynasty, refers to seasonal exorcist rituals involving the performer wearing bear skin to drive away pestilences.|Compare with a similar green-glazed lamp stand, dated Han dynasty, illustrated by S.Hayashiya and G.Hasebe, Chinese Ceramics, Tokyo, 1966, p.31, pl.25. Another related example from the British Museum, London, is illustrated in Catalogue of the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, 1935-6, London, no.453.