Amphora with flat base
Miaodigou phase, c. 4000-3500 BCE
Description
Tall, elongated vessel with small, bell-shaped mouth, narrow neck, sloping shoulders, slightly rounded midsection, sides tapering inward to a flat, circular base, and two strap handles forming loops just below shoulders; reddish buff earthenware textured with abstract linear designs from neck to foot, created by combing and scraping the moist clay surface before firing; mottled with dark patches. Yangshao culture, Miaodigou type. From the upper or middle Yellow River valley regions, possibly Shaanxi or eastern Gansu province.
Dimensions
H. 59.8 x W. 25 (across handles) x Diam. 20.5 cm (23 9/16 x 9 13/16 x 8 1/16 in.)
Provenance
[The Chinese Porcelain Company, New York, 2002] sold; to Walter C. Sedgwick Foundation, Woodside, CA (2002-2006), partial gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2006.
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