VesselsChinese3rd-1st century BCE

Goose-head vessel

3rd-1st century BCE

Description

Compressed spherical vessel surmounted by a tapered cylindrical neck that curves downward at the top, terminating into a stylized head of a goose; a circular aperture appears at the highest point behind the goose head; splayed footring encircles a countersunk base; light gray earthenware with minute traces of orange, black, and white cold-painted pigments. The form is based on a bronze vessel prototype. Such vessels gained currency by the Qin dynasty (late 3rd century BCE) and persisted into the Han dynasty. Note: A sample taken from the footring of this vessel was thermoluminescence (TL) tested at Oxford Authentication Ltd. in May 1999 and determined to be consistent with the suggested period of manufacture.

Classification

Vessels

Medium

Gray earthenware with traces of cold-painted pigments

Culture

Chinese

Period

Han dynasty, Western Han period, 206 BCE-9 CE

Century

3rd-1st century BCE

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Asian Art

Dimensions

H. 33.5 x Diam. 22.2 cm (13 3/16 x 8 3/4 in.)

Provenance

[J.J. Lally & Co., New York, November 1999] sold; to Walter C. Sedgwick Foundation, Woodside, CA (1999-2006), partial gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2006.