Period:Tang dynasty (618–907) Date:7th century Culture:China Medium:Stoneware with raised decoration on white slip under straw-yellow glaze Dimensions:H. 20 1/8 in. (51.1 cm); Diam. 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm); Diam. of foot 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm) Classification:Ceramics Credit Line:Gift of Robert E. Tod, 1938 Accession Number:38.56.7 The long and complicated history of the shape illustrates the wide-ranging influences found in Chinese art in the seventh and eighth centuries, when China was the center of a trading network that stretched from the Mediterranean to Korea and Japan. The ovoid shape suggests the “ amphora ” of Greece and Rome, while the animal-shaped handles allude to Persian and Central Asian metalwork. The ubiquitous dragon is a Chinese addition to this type of storage vessel.
Period:Tang dynasty (618–907) Date:7th century Culture:China Medium:Stoneware with raised decoration on white slip under straw-yellow glaze Dimensions:H. 20 1/8 in. (51.1 cm); Diam. 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm); Diam. of foot 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm) Classification:Ceramics Credit Line:Gift of Robert E. Tod, 1938 Accession Number:38.56.7 The long and complicated history of the shape illustrates the wide-ranging influences found in Chinese art in the seventh and eighth centuries, when China was the center of a trading network that stretched from the Mediterranean to Korea and Japan. The ovoid shape suggests the “ amphora ” of Greece and Rome, while the animal-shaped handles allude to Persian and Central Asian metalwork. The ubiquitous dragon is a Chinese addition to this type of storage vessel.