Height: 22.500
cm
Diameter: 19.400 cm (at
mouth)
Asia OA 1991.2-28.1
Asia
Stoneware storage jar
Zhejiang province, south-eastern
China
Eastern Zhou dynasty (771-221
BC)
This large, globular storage jar is a good example of the high-fired ceramics made in the Eastern Zhou period. It is evenly potted and lighter than one would expect for such a large jar. It has a flat mouth rim, about one inch wide, and does not appear to have had a lid. The upper part of the jar is splashed with an olive-green glaze.
The most interesting feature is the impressed pattern, which covers most of the jar's surface. The design is in rows of rectangles with cross-hatching, each with a rectangular handle. The rectangles look just like small suitcases.
S.J. Vainker, Chinese pottery and porcelain, (London, The British Museum Press, 1991)
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