Cleveland Museum of Art

Chicken-Headed Ewer

Date

220–589 CE

Medium

green-glazed stoneware with incised, carved and applied decoration, Yue ware

Culture

China, Zhejiang province, Southern Dynasties period (420-589)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The development of high-fired celadon in the south was a significant achievement in Chinese ceramics history. The ewer's shape was indigenous and appeared to have been transformed from the hu (jar) attached with a small chicken head. Whereas the early chicken-headed ewers have a wide, stout body, this example represents a further development toward more elongated proportions, adding the decoration of carved lotus petals.

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