East Asia, China, Han Dynasty, ca. 206 BCE – 220 CE. A wheel-thrown earthenware jar of swollen, full-bodied silhouette, rising from a tapered foot through a broadly curved shoulder to a short constricted neck crowned by an everted, dish-shaped rim. The grey clay body retains the soft tonal mottling and earthen incrustation of long burial, its surface scored faintly by the potter's turning marks, which travel in concentric ribbons around the belly. The form belongs to the enduring hu lineage of Han ceremonial and storage vessels, a profile borrowed from earlier bronze prototypes and translated into the more democratic medium of fired clay. Such jars accompanied the dead into tomb chambers across the Han realms, functioning as mingqi, spirit goods intended to provision the deceased with grain, wine, or other staples in the afterlife. The unglazed grey ware, fired in a reducing atmosphere, dominated mortuary production of the period and its understated dignity speaks to Han confidence: an aesthetic of restraint, balance, and quiet utility that would shape Chinese ceramics for centuries to come. Size: 7.2" D x 6.9" H (18.3 cm D x 17.5 cm H).

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection

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Item # 176310

  • Condition: Good. Rim has been professionally repaired with chipping along visible break line. Light surface wear as shown, but, otherwise, very nice presentation with elegant silhouette and scattered earthen deposits.

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by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Artemis Fine Arts

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