Black Carved Longshan Pottery

Description

A potter carved holes in the still-damp clay along the rim of this pot (#1 in the case) maybe to tie a lid in place, or perhaps as decoration. Geometric cut-outs like these often decorate the pottery found at Longshan sites. The carved stem of the replica goblet (#3) also shows this style. After being formed, a vessel was sometimes polished. Once fired, it had a glossy, glassy look. The fragment of black pottery on display gets its shine from this polishing technique, called burnishing.


Object Information

Date Created:

Shandong Longshan period (c. 2600-1900 BC)

Place of Creation/Discovery:

China, Shandong Province

Credit Line:

IMAGING DEPARTMENT © PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE

Citation:

IMAGING DEPARTMENT © PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE

Creator(s):

IMAGING DEPARTMENT © PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE

Materials:

Clay

Cultural Attribution:

Longshan, China

Period:

Shandong Longshan period

Classification:

pottery

Rights:

In Copyright