Minneapolis Institute of Art

Storage Jar

China

Date

1122–772 BCE

Medium

Stoneware with impressed decor

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

This handbuilt vessel has been stamped with a wave pattern on its upper half and the lower half with a woven stamped pattern. The raised patterns create a greater amount of surface area on the exterior of the pot which in earthenware can cool the contents. This jar is made of stoneware which does not allow saturation of the clay body and thus no cooling occurs. A new technology at the time, high-fired stoneware is much more durable and thus the vessel will last longer. A few centuries later the stamped patterns were used in bronze as potters, experienced in high-firing techniques, were recruited to create vessels in that new medium. China, Asia

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.