LONGSHAN BLACK "EGG SHELL" POTTERY STEMCUP
龍山蛋殼黑陶高柄杯
Longshan Culture, ca. 2500-2200 BCE
21 cm high
Description: The Longshan culture flourished in northeastern China during the third millennium BCE. The black pottery produced by the Longshan is known for its brilliant and extremely thin walls. Longshan potters took advantage of the new technology of the potter's wheel, well-refined clays, and high-fired kilns. Using rapidly rotating wheels, potters could create vessels with walls as thin as eggshells. Longshan wares were fired in a reduction kiln atmosphere, which darkened their surfaces. Longshan potters appear to have focused on the shape of the vessels, with simple geometric designs in the form of incised and impressed patterns. The fact that the vast majority of black pottery objects were found in elite graves and not in residential areas suggests that they were reserved for elite use only and probably for ritual purposes rather than everyday use.
Provenance: Old Belgic collection
Reference: For a similar figure, see the object displayed at Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, UK
https://www.sainsburycentre.ac.uk/art-and-objects/1361-vessel/
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