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Covered jar (hu)
Covered jar (hu)

Covered jar (hu)

Place of OriginCentral Plains, China
PeriodWarring States period (approx. 475-221 BCE)
DynastyWestern Han period (206 BCE-9 CE)
MaterialsGray low-fired ceramic with painted design
DimensionsH. 11 5/8 in x Diam. 8 in, H. 29.6 cm x Diam. 20.3 cm
Credit LineGift of Hanni Forester in memory of her husband, Dr. Charles F. Forester
Object number1989.17.a-.b
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsCeramics
On View
Not on view
More Information
Both the terms zhong and hu refer to large vessels of this shape produced in bronze, lacquer, and pottery since the Eastern Zhou period. This type of vessel features a flaring mouth and an olive-shaped body tapering to a flat base. The ceramic vessels of the Han with their varied contours were copied elsewhere throughout the country. A series of vessels decorated with triangles filled with dots attempted to visually recreate the surface of a bronze. The motif, however, outlined with bright red, yellow, and white, was unique to Henan-Hebei (Hebei Mus. 1980: 108; Inst. Arch. 1959: pls.34-5; CGK Hakubutsukan 1983 vol. VII: pls. 63-5).