Minneapolis Institute of Art

Storage Jar

Thailand

Date

c. 1000 BCE

Medium

Earthenware with white slip

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Ban Chiang site in Udon Thani province is the best known and understood of the many archaeological sites on the Khorat Plateau in northeast Thailand. The Ban Chiang culture flourished from about 4000 b.c. to around a.d. 400. This magnificent storage jar is datable around 1000 b.c. at the very end of the early period, (3600-1000 b.c.). Of the over ninety variations of basic unpainted ceramic forms associated with the Ban Chiang tradition, this type of footless storage jar with tall, inward sloping sides has to rank among the most refined and elegant. Ban Chiang ceramics evince a remarkable tradition of artistic individuality and experimentation. In contrast to the incised blackware of the early period and red and white painted wares of the late period (300 b.c.-200 a.d.), the style of this jar derives its visual impact from its pure form and monochrome surface. Asia

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