Cleveland Museum of Art
Pair of Owl-shaped Jars
- Date
- 206 BCE–9 CE
- Medium
- Amber-brown glazed low-fired pottery
- Culture
- China, Henan province, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE)
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Pottery vessels in the shape of owls were made since Neolithic times and throughout the Bronze age. These jars in the form of vigilant owls may have provided a tomb occupant with grain in the afterlife. However, the meaning of these mysterious birds and the association of the owl motif with burial sites in China is not fully understood. Each jar cover is modeled in the shape of an owl's head.
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