Fine Large Chinese Neolithic Jar

$1,130.35

A Chinese Neolithic earthenware storage jar, that rises from a flattened narrow base, reaching its greatest girth slightly below its centre, where two small handles have been attached at the base of the main design. The neck is relatively short and straight and ends in a slightly flaring lip and wide mouth. The artist has applied a complex horizontal pattern of decoration in alternating bands around the upper body, with a larger band of crisscross pattern around the neck and diagonal stripes around the waist. The lower body is left undecorated.

 

 

Date: Circa 2600–2300 BC
Period: Banshan phase of the Neolithic Gansu Yangshao culture
Condition: Fine condition; repair to the lip; otherwise complete and intact; very slight fading to the painted decoration.

In stock

Earthenware vessels were modelled by hand until some time in the middle of the Neolithic period and, in most regions, probably for some time after that. These vessels were modelled through a coiling process, involving thick ropes of clay being rolled out and then coiled round on top of one another in order to give the vessel the desired profile; the joins of the coils were then smoothed so that no ridges remain between the original layers. The smoothed vessel was then beaten into its final shape with a paddle and anvil, that is, a support held against the inside of the vessel, while the exterior was beaten smooth. Close inspection of Yangshao earthenware shows no ridges nor paddle marks – showcasing the neat detailed work of the civilisation. The vessels were then finished by scraping and burnishing, occasionally followed by painting and further burnishing. The delicate brushstroke patterns are generally along the top two-thirds of the vessel, they typically represent wave or net designs, as most communities of the time settled near and were dependant on rivers and fish. Whilst earlier uses of ceramics in China centred on use, the Neolithic thin-walled, painted, and burnished earthenwares and vessels, have been discovered in dwelling sites as well as burial sites located along the Yellow and Yangtze river valleys, highlighting their use as ritual vessels too.

 

 

 

Weight 1600 g
Dimensions H 34 cm
Culture

Pottery and Porcelain

Region

Country

You may also like…