Basin with two anthropomorphic handles

VesselsChinese4th-3rd millennium BCE

Basin with two anthropomorphic handles

Majiayao phase, c. 3300-2650 BCE

Description

Small circular basin with two arching handles rising upward from the rim, each terminating in a molded form resembling a human face; lower portion of vessel tapers inward to a flat base; buff earthenware lightly burnished and decorated with geometric designs painted in dark brown slip before firing; painted designs include dotted concentric circles and undulating lines; a faint grid-like pattern of lines painted on the base. Majiayao culture, Majiayao type. From the upper Yellow River valley region; Gansu, Qinghai, or Ningxia province.

Classification

Vessels

Medium

Earthenware with slip-painted decoration

Culture

Chinese

Period

Neolithic period, Majiayao culture, c. 3300-2000 BCE

Century

4th-3rd millennium BCE

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Asian Art

Dimensions

H. 10.4 x W. (across handles) 23.7 x Diam. 15.7 cm (4 1/8 x 9 5/16 x 6 3/16 in.)

Provenance

[Eskenazi, Ltd., London, 2001] sold; to Walter C. Sedgwick Foundation, Woodside, CA (2001-2006), partial gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2006.

Related Artworks

Lid

Unknown Artist, Edo period,

Lacquer on wood

17th-19th centuryJapanese

Urn

Henry Chawner, 1786-1787

Silver, ivory

18th centuryBritish

Basket-handled Feeder

Basket-handled Feeder

Unknown Artist, 12th-11th century BCE

Terracotta

12th-11th century BCEMycenaean

Ewer with Stylized Floral Decor

Ewer with Stylized Floral Decor

Unknown Artist, 13th century

Slip-painted celadon ware: light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over decoration painted in iron-brown slip. Reportedly recovered from a tomb in Yŏnggwang county, South Chŏlla province.

13th centuryKorean

Squat Lekythos (oil flask): Palmette Motif

Squat Lekythos (oil flask): Palmette Motif

Unknown Artist, 425-375 BCE

Terracotta

Amphora with Two Bands of Impressed Decoration: Horses and Horsemen

Amphora with Two Bands of Impressed Decoration: Horses and Horsemen

Unknown Artist, 550-500 BCE

Terracotta

6th century BCEItalic

ANCIENT, UNGLAZED JUG - lekythos ?

ANCIENT, UNGLAZED JUG - lekythos ?

Circular Bowl with Notched Rim and Scrolling Floral Decor

Circular Bowl with Notched Rim and Scrolling Floral Decor

Unknown Artist, 12th century

Ding ware: porcelaneous white stoneware with ivory-hued glaze over mold-impressed decoration, the unglazed rim bound with metal. From the Ding kilns at Quyang, Hebei province.

12th centuryChinese

Small Jar with Decoration of Scholars and Attendants on a Garden Terrace

Small Jar with Decoration of Scholars and Attendants on a Garden Terrace

Unknown Artist, early 18th century

Blue-and-white ware: porcelain with decoration painted in underglaze cobalt blue; with spurious underglaze cobalt-blue mark reading "Chenghua nian zhi" on the base

18th centuryChinese

Kantharos

Unknown Artist, 4th century BCE

Terracotta

4th century BCEEtruscan

Pyxis with lid

SMALL REN TWO-HANDLED CUP, UNGLAZED, WITH RAISED D ECORATION WITH A BETTER RIGHT TO THE CREDIT, SO, UNTIL A BE

SMALL REN TWO-HANDLED CUP, UNGLAZED, WITH RAISED D ECORATION WITH A BETTER RIGHT TO THE CREDIT, SO, UNTIL A BE

Basin with two anthropomorphic handles | Harvard Art Museums | KenAI