Jar, Banshan or Machang type ware

Historical period(s)
Neolithic period, ca. 2000 BCE
Medium
Earthenware clay, iron and manganese pigments
Style
Banshan or Machang type ware
Dimensions
H x W: 18.4 x 22 cm (7 1/4 x 8 11/16 in)
Geography
China, Gansu province
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1975.13
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Jar

Keywords
Banshan ware, China, earthenware, funerary, iron pigment, Machang ware, Neolithic period (ca. 7000 - ca. 1700 BCE), WWII-era provenance
Provenance
Provenance information is currently unavailable
Label

By the time these earthenware vessels were made, Chinese potters had been shaping and firing clays for nearly two thousand years, a long-standing expertise reflected in the objects' confident shapes and matching dynamic designs.  Burnished surfaces, like that on the storage urn, indicate special treatment and may reveal the unusual status of their owners.  As many as one hundred such earthenwares have been found in a single tomb, suggesting that Neolithic vessels shared similar functions and status as bronze vessels during the ensuing Bronze Age.

Published References
  • Julia Murray. A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980. Exh. cat. Washington, 1979. cat. 17, p. 27.
  • Unknown title. vol. 30 New York and Honolulu, 1976-1977. p. 124, fig. 54.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use