SMALL DOUBLE HANDLED BLACK EARTHENWARE JAR
寺漥黑陶小罐

Description: Siwa culture predates the Zhou dynasty and is contemporaneous with the Shang dynasty. It spans the Southeast Gansu Province. The unique shape of Siwa pottery is its flaring saddled-shaped mouth, with two handles connecting the rim and the shoulder of the vessel. This Siwa jar is made into a dark greyish colour with a well burnished surface, which is both rare and distinctive. Upon close inspection, one side of the surface and the bottom both bear an incised “X” symbol, perhaps suggesting the maker or the owner. The surface has the traces of scratches during the burnishing process and the plant roots during the burial period, making natural decorations to the monochrome object. This smaller Siwa jar in comparison with the larger reddish Siwa jar in the same catalogue has a more compressed body.

Provenance: A British collection

Reference:  For a similar vessel of this type, see Dawn of the Yellow Earth, Reginal Krahl, 2000, P92