Bear Orangeware Vessel (OMC 1960.804.001)
This orangeware vessel from the North coast of Peru depicts a bear with a paw held to the side of its face. The bear is likely an Andean bear, the only bear in South America. The Andean bear, also known as the spectacled bear, lives in the Andes Mountain range in countries like Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. This pre-Colombian ceramic is by the Moche people.
The Andean bear became famous through the 1950s fictional story of Paddington bear who arrived in Britain from “the darkest Peru.”
This orangeware vessel was brought back from Peru by International Oil Driller Charles Wallen in the early 20th Century.
To learn more about artifacts similar to this one visit the Met Museum's site.
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