Jar
Place of OriginShaanxi province or Henan province, China
Dateapprox. 100 BCE-9 CE
DynastyWestern Han period (206 BCE-9 CE)
MaterialsReddish low-fired ceramic with molded decoration and green lead glaze
DimensionsH. 14 in x Diam. 11 in, H. 35.5 cm x Diam. 28 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB60P280
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsCeramics
On View
Not on viewSimilar in shape to bronze zhong, lead glazed zhong emerged in Shaanxi during the second century BC, and were executed in diverse shapes, the most luxurious ones bearing molded shallow-relief friezes. The two animal masks with rings, pushou-xianhuan, which serve here as decorative handles, adopt the motifs found on contemporary door-knockers. The mountain motif with crawling beasts is interpreted as either a royal hunting scene or as a depiction of the legendary land of the immortals. This type of jar, with a globular body resting on a flat base, has been found in late Western Han tombs in Shaanxi and Henan (KG 1982.3: 226; KGXB 1991.2: 245-246).
