Minneapolis Institute of Art

Jar

China

Date

2nd century BCE

Medium

Earthenware with traces of pigment

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Well-preserved examples of Han painted pottery, these three storage vessels demonstrate that sophisticated production techniques relying on a division of labor and quality control were well established by the Western Han. Although potted and painted by different artisans, all three jars appear to have come off the same assembly line. Uniform production standards became very important during Han when tremendous wealth was made through national and international trade. The red and black colors as well as the stylized curvilinear cloud designs are derived directly from lacquer objects which had become popular during the late Zhou and early Han (4th-1st century BCE). China, Asia

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