Accession Number
1993/1.55A&B

Title
Covered Jar and Lid

Artist(s)
Chinese

Artist Nationality
Chinese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
206 BCE-25 CE

Medium & Support
earthenware with mineral paint

Dimensions
26 ¼ in x 17 ⅛ in x 17 ⅛ in (66.68 cm x 43.5 cm x 43.5 cm);2 3/16 in x 9 ⅛ in x 9 ⅛ in (5.56 cm x 23.18 cm x 23.18 cm);24 in x 17 ⅛ in x 17 ⅛ in (60.96 cm x 43.5 cm x 43.5 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Domino's Pizza, Inc.

Subject matter
Gray earthenware hu (壺) jars were made for storing "wine" or millet ales.  These types of polychrome painted hu were made in northern workshops of the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE-25 CE) as funerary storage vessels to supply for the afterlife. They have been found in the tombs primarily in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan provinces. The scrolling cloud design, thought to be an auspicious motif with the power to ward off evil spirits, is the predominant decoration on Han artifacts and can be found in all media. Polychrome painted pieces were found primarily in aristocratic and elite tombs. 

Physical Description
Jar with a low-domed cap lid.  It is painted with a scrolling clouds motif in red, white, and black mineral pigments.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
jar

Additional Object Classification(s)
Ceramic

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
ceramic (material)
clouds
earthenware
grave goods
jars
lids (covers)
mineral pigment
wine bottles