Large covered hu (wine storage jar) with molded taotie masks and painted designs of stylized clouds and Mount Penglai
Chinese
Description
This hu-shaped mortuary jar is unglazed and richly hand-decorated red pigments and white slip (liquid clay) against a black pigment ground, unlike the other two mortuary jars in this case, which are glazed. The swirling painted patterns are taken from textile design, an emergent art form in Han times. The peaks of Mount Penglai, the Daoist abode of immortality, appear above flowing bands of stylized clouds.
Lacquer vessels of this shape and decoration have been found in Han tombs throughout China, particularly in the south and west. These findings point to the strong connections between pottery, lacquer, bronze, and textile art in ancient China. This integration of diverse art mediums would characterize Chinese imperial art down through the centuries.
(Label for UMMA Chinese Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
Subject Matter:
mystical cloud of Taoist inspiration, once part of a set of food and wine vessels furnished the tombs of the well-to-do families as grave goods
Physical Description:
greyware jar with lid, pained with polychrome mystic cloud design, flared neck, globular body, tall foot
Usage Rights:
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.