Mee Lee

Unknown

Well

private collection

This "Majiayao Culture Ban-shan Type Painted Pot with Double Ears" was made in the late Neolithic period of China (approximately 2800 to 2500 BC) and comes from the golden age of the Majiayao culture in the upper reaches of the Yellow River—specifically, the Ban-shan type. The Majiayao culture is renowned worldwide for its painted pottery craft, with the Ban-shan type representing its artistic pinnacle, featuring intricate and highly symbolic decorations that demonstrate a profound exploration of religion, the universe, and human order in primitive society.

The pot is crafted from fine clay, exhibiting a rounded and full shape, with a short neck, wide shoulders, and small ear handles on the sides. The pot's body is decorated with highly recognizable designs, employing red and black paint to create large areas of spiral and wavy patterns. The symmetrical and flowing patterns enhance the visual dynamism of the piece.

These spirals and waves are an important decorative vocabulary of the Ban-shan type painted pottery, symbolizing life, rivers, and female fertility, and may contain tribal totems or ritual symbols.

The Majiayao Ban-shan type painted pottery was not only used for storing wine, holding grains, and rituals but also served as a symbol of family and community identity, reflecting the highly integrated aesthetics, beliefs, and social division of labor in primitive society. This spiral-patterned painted pot, with its high artistic quality and craftsmanship, has become a significant emblem of China’s painted pottery civilization in the Neolithic era.

None