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Covered jar with lid (pou)
Covered jar with lid (pou)

Covered jar with lid (pou)

Place of OriginHenan province, China
Dateapprox. 1300-1050 BCE
DynastyShang dynasty (approx. 1600-1050 BCE)
MaterialsStoneware with stamped decoration
DimensionsH. 7 7/8 in x Diam. 8 1/4 in, H. 20.0 cm x Diam. 21.0 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB60P538
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsCeramics
On View
On view
LocationGallery 14
More Information

Baked in high-firing kilns with refined white clay, this kind of Shang-dynasty ceramic vessel has a hard surface and solid body. But after more than three thousand years, such vessels are almost always found in fragmentary condition and are extremely rare. Note the many repairs on this and the adjacent stemmed cup. In both examples, the shape of the vessel is implied by the largest of the remaining fragments.