Mee Lee

Unknown

Well

private collection

This "Banshan-type relief animal-patterned lid jar of the Majiayao culture" was made during the late Neolithic period in the mid-Majiayao culture (approximately 2800 to 2500 BC). It is the ultimate representation of the colorful pottery art and the expressive power of three-dimensional patterns in the Banshan type from the upper Yellow River region. The Majiayao culture is renowned for its highly developed techniques in colored pottery, intricate decorations, and variations in vessel shapes, representing the prehistoric Chinese understanding of nature, beliefs, and social order.

This jar has a thick body, a rounded shape, three short legs, and a pair of symmetrical ear handles. The lid is adorned with a vividly sculpted animal-patterned guardian figure (either lion-shaped or tiger-shaped), symbolizing the reverence and protective function of animal totems in primitive beliefs. The surfaces of the jar body and lid are extensively decorated using relief techniques, showcasing diamond shapes, circular dots, geometric protrusions, and dynamic animal patterns, with a complex yet orderly composition that balances tactile and visual elements. These decorations may symbolize vitality, female reproductive worship, or clan structures, which are common religious and social symbols in Banshan-type colored pottery.

Such large relief lid jars were often used to hold food or grains, or as ceremonial vessels for rituals, reflecting the prestigious status of families and clans. It not only represents the superb achievements of Majiayao cultural pottery and sculpture techniques but also serves as an important tangible proof of the aesthetic, beliefs, and power structures of ancient plateau societies.

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