Machang type

Dateca. 2200-2000 B.C.

Label TextPainted potteries of the Majiayao culture flourished in northwestern China from 3800 to 2000 B.C. The varied designs, in black and maroon-sometimes accented with white-show a preference for linear, curvilinear, and abstract patterns. The two jars (#51.194) exhibited here are classic examples of this type. Their decoration, wrapping around the upper part of the vessels, is best viewed from above, suggesting that in their original context the vessels would probably have been placed at ground level or on a low platform.

Object number47.109

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Glaze, Pattern and Image: Decoration in Chinese Ceramics", September 7, 2002 - November 19, 2002

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

Dimensions16 in. (40.64 cm) Girth: 48 in.

MediumEarthenware with painted decoration in black and red unglazed ceramic