Indus Valley Painted Jar with Zoomorphic Decoration

$1,579.64

A finely moulded, terracotta Indus Vally Jar, decorated with rich geometric and zoomorphic designs. It features a globular container, with almost vertical walls which flare from a ring base and then merge into a wide opening with a slightly everted lip. Two horizontal registers, depicting abstract lions in a walking stance, in addition to the schematic greenery, embrace the body. The lions are portrayed in a distinctive style known to the Indus Vally painters, featuring an elongated body and a spherical head.

Date: Circa 2500-2000 BC
Condition: Fine condition

SOLD

The Indus Valley is a Bronze Age civilization from the Near East, which lasted from 3300 BC to 31 BC. It was discovered when engraved seals were found in the Pakistani province of Punjab in 1920-21, first in a site called Harappa and then all along the Indus river. They were known to be skilled in a wide range of techniques, but it is thanks to pottery production that they have been appreciated by archaeologists and collectors. Most of the pottery can be dated back to the Nal culture, which flourished in the north-west region of the Indus Valley. Their terracotta works are characterized by a linear style, a geometric repetition of shapes and lines. Also, animals and plants, rendered in a stylised manner, featured heavily on their creations.  Furthermore, short ring foots and bowls with inward-turned rims seem to be as well among the main properties of the Nal’s pottery. In the end, pigments could be added on the decorations, to create beautiful polychromatic vessels.

Weight 2800 g
Dimensions W 22.5 x H 18.2 cm
Culture

Pottery and Porcelain

Region

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