Jar
Chinese
Description
Subject Matter:
A mortuary urn or guan (罐) jar of the Neolithic Machang phase (2300–2000 BCE) of Majiayao Culture from Machang, Gansu of the Yellow River Valley in northwestern China. Discovered by Johan Gunnar Andersson in 1921, by the 1980s approximately 60,000 items and 400 kilns had been discovered at Majiayao sites (He Li 1996, 22). They were found in subterranean graves with conical bases placed into the local loess soil, and because the decoration is consistently only on the top portion of the jar, it can be assumed they were meant to be viewed from above. It may be impossible to know the meaning behind this decoration. The two lug handles were probably used to tie down a wooden, or other decomposable material, lid. An abundance of this type of guan were made with similar proportions, which suggests the use of a mathematical module, standardization, assembly line style mass production and the possible division of labor during the Neolithic period (Poor 1995, 166).
References:
He, Li. Chinese Ceramics: a New Comprehensive Survey From the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. New York: Rizzoli, 1996.
Poor, Robert. "The Circle and the Square: Measure and Ritual in Ancient China" Monument Serica 43 (1995), 159-210.
Physical Description:
A light reddish-buff earthenware guan (罐) jar with wide globular upper body and conical lower body on a narrow flat base, and a tall narrow neck with flaring rim. There are two diametrically opposed lug handles, one at the waist and the other joining the neck to the shoulder. The upper half of the body is painted with black and red pigments to depict alternating sets of three thin black bands, and thick red and black bands. Below these bands is a wide black, fringed zigzag band and a lobed black band. Thin black bands around the neck, with a red band and black hatchmark band to the interior rim. There is loss and restoration to the rim.
Usage Rights:
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