Dancing Bears

A number of potters made groups portraying a dancing bear and Savoyard. These popular groups command good prices because, although not rare, they are infrequent on the market. Invariably, the rope tethering the bear is lost or restored. A small lion (in reality a dog dressed in costume) is in the foreground of most groups, but some have two small monkeys instead. The same theme recurs in contemporary art by Bunbury, Rowlandson, and others.