Panda bear still bank c. 1930

This panda bear still bank was created by an anonymous artist who worked with a ceramic material. There's something really beautiful about the gesture of this bear and how it was brought into being. I mean, it's hard to imagine the specific intention of the artist, but I can sympathize with their practice. How they built up the form, smoothing the surface, and carefully applying each stroke of paint. The paint has been applied in these thin washes of color, moving from white to shades of dark brown. The bear's fur is captured in the subtle gradations of tone. And those eyes! They're so simple, yet they manage to convey a real sense of life. It's like the artist was in conversation with other artists across time, constantly learning from and inspiring one another. To me, this bear is an invitation to embrace ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings to emerge over time.