Alms bowl
8th-9th century
Description
Large hemispherical bowl with wide mouth, lightly inverted lip, and sides tapering inward to a rounded base—a Buddhist alms bowl (Sanskrit: pātra; Chinese bo); blackened earthenware coated with a slip solution containing clay, carbon, and gypsum and polished to a high gloss after firing.
Dimensions
H. 12.8 x Diam. 23.3 cm (5 1/16 x 9 3/16 in.)
Provenance
[J.J. Lally & Co., New York, July 2001] sold; to Walter C. Sedgwick Foundation, Woodside, CA (2000-2006), partial gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2006.
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