Funerary Urn, Yang shao culture, Ma-chang type, earthenware with black and purple painted decor, two handles. Decor unusual in showing two stylized kneeling figures between cross-hatched circles.

Funerary Storage Jar, c. 2300 BCE

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The seemingly abstract zigzag designs on the burial storage jar are a stylized version of a human-like stick figure. The neck of the jar in this case represents the head. Built from coils of clay, the vessel relates in shape to the earlier Banshan (2600-2300 BCE) jars shown here, but its proportions are more elongated and its surface is matte and unburnished. Related Machang (2200-2000 BCE) type jars have been excavated in Gansu and Qinghai provinces in northwest China.

Details
Title
Funerary Storage Jar
Role
Artist
Accession Number
86.43
Curator Approved

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Funerary Urn, Yang shao culture, Ma-chang type, earthenware with black and purple painted decor, two handles. Decor unusual in showing two stylized kneeling figures between cross-hatched circles.