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Lot 207A
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Jomon Earthenware Jar - Flame-Style Rim, Cord-Marked Surface
Jomon Earthenware Jar - Flame-Style Rim, Cord-Marked Surface
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East Asia, Japan, Jomon culture, ca. 3000–2000 BCE. A hand-built earthenware vessel rising into a dramatic, lobed mouth, its rim peaks soaring outward like flames frozen in clay. The body swells gently before tapering toward a rounded base, the entire surface roughened with the cord-impressed and fingernail-flicked patterning that gives the Jomon ("cord-marked") tradition its very name. Built by coiling rather than thrown, the jar carries the warm earthen tones of a low-fired ceramic, its asymmetry and tactile texture the signature of a maker working without the wheel. Vessels of this exuberant, sculptural type served domestic and likely ritual functions among the hunter-gatherer communities of prehistoric Japan, used perhaps for cooking, storage, or ceremonial display. Few ceramic traditions on earth reach back as far, or invest the everyday pot with such vigorous, almost flame-licked vitality. Size: 8" D x 11.3" H (20.3 cm D x 28.7 cm H).

The Jomon period spans one of the longest continuous ceramic traditions known, with earthenware production beginning more than 14,000 years ago, among the earliest pottery anywhere in the world. The flamboyant, flame-rimmed (kaen-doki) vessels are most closely associated with the Middle Jomon period in central Honshu, where their sculptural rims and dynamic silhouettes suggest a function beyond mere utility. Decoration was achieved by impressing twisted cords and rolling carved tools across the damp clay before open firing at relatively low temperatures, yielding the characteristic porous, earth-toned fabric. The communities that made these vessels were sedentary foragers, exploiting the rich marine and forest resources of the Japanese archipelago.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection

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Item # 203445

  • Condition: Good. Professionally repaired and restored with infill in areas. Weathering to surface as shown. Otherwise, nice presentation with scattered earthen deposits and good remaining decoration.

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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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$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000