Jar with four loop handles

Northern production of glazed jars with an oval shape and multiple handles began in the sixth century. Of the three types of fringes common on these glazed jars, the rope ridges seen here, placed in a garland-like rhythm in shallow-relief, emerged in Hebei (WW 1973.11: pl. 5) and appeared during the Sui dynasty in both Hebei (WW 1973.3: 30) and Shaanxi (KG 1959.9: pl. 3; WW 1977.2: 57). Different from celadon, the silicon and aluminum content of the glaze indicates how extraordinary this piece is.