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Covered Jar and Lid

Chinese

Artwork Details

Covered Jar and Lid
206 BCE-25 CE
Chinese
earthenware with mineral paint
26 ¼ in x 17 ⅛ in x 17 ⅛ in (66.68 cm x 43.5 cm x 43.5 cm);2 3/16 in x 9 ⅛ in x 9 ⅛ in (5.56 cm x 23.18 cm x 23.18 cm);24 in x 17 ⅛ in x 17 ⅛ in (60.96 cm x 43.5 cm x 43.5 cm)
Gift of Domino's Pizza, Inc.
1993/1.55A&B

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Description

Subject Matter:

Gray earthenware hu (壺) jars were made for storing "wine" or millet ales.  These types of polychrome painted hu were made in northern workshops of the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE-25 CE) as funerary storage vessels to supply for the afterlife. They have been found in the tombs primarily in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan provinces. The scrolling cloud design, thought to be an auspicious motif with the power to ward off evil spirits, is the predominant decoration on Han artifacts and can be found in all media. Polychrome painted pieces were found primarily in aristocratic and elite tombs. 

Physical Description:

Jar with a low-domed cap lid.  It is painted with a scrolling clouds motif in red, white, and black mineral pigments.

Usage Rights:

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