Basin
Majiayao phase, c. 3300-2650 BCE
Description
Circular basin with everted rim, rounded sides, lower body tapering inward to a flat base, and two crenellated handles positioned bilaterally on the exterior at the juncture where the lower body begins to taper; buff earthenware lightly burnished and decorated with geometric designs painted in dark brown slip before firing; painted designs include dots surrounded by concentric rings and sweeping arcs, bound by undulating parallel lines (on the interior), encircled dots separated by patterns of oblique triangles arranged in symmetrical clusters (on the rim), and two dots surrounded by concentric rings on the exterior walls. Majiayao culture, Majiayao type. From the upper Yellow River valley region; Gansu, Qinghai, or Ningxia province.
Dimensions
H. 12.2 x D. 31.2 cm (4 13/16 x 12 5/16 in.)
Provenance
[J.J. Lally & Co., New York, May 2004] sold; to Walter C. Sedgwick Foundation, Woodside, CA (2004-2006), partial gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2006.
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