Banshan-type urn

ca. 2600-2300 B.C.

Painted potteries of the Majiayao culture flourished in northwestern China in the Neolithic period. The varied designs, sometimes accented with white, show a preference for linear, curvilinear, and abstract patterns. The decoration is best viewed from above, suggesting that in their original context the vessels would probably have been placed on the ground or a low platform.

Earthenware with painted decoration in black, maroon

14 1/8 x 7 5/8 in. (35.88 x 19.4 cm)

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

51.194

Photo: Paul Macapia

Not currently on view

Resources

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

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, "Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective", December 22, 2007 - July 26, 2009 (12/22/2007 - 7/26/2009)

Portland, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, "Gift to a City: Masterworks from the Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection in the Seattle Art Museum", cat. # 1

Published References"Gift to a City" exhibition catalogue. Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1965, cat. no. 1

Frank, Patrick. Prebles' Artforms, tenth edition, 2010, illustrated p. 219

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