East Asia, Japan, Middle Jomon period, ca. 3000 BCE to 1000 BCE, most likely about 4,500 years old. A graceful, hand-built terracotta vessel with a flat base, a tapering body, a wide, rounded top, and a slightly incurved, thin rim. The exterior walls below the top section are impressed with a diagonally-oriented corrugated pattern made by pressing a cord onto the wet clay before firing. The rim is also decorated in similar fashion, including an applied, curled motif along one side. This artistically-complex vessel dates to the middle period as those from the early and late periods had relatively simplistic decorations. Size: 7.05" W x 9.7" H (17.9 cm x 24.6 cm)
The ancient Japanese Jomon Period is known for its distinctive pottery tradition that set it apart from the Paleolithic Age. Jomon pottery vessels are among the oldest in the world and typically present rope- or cord-like impressed decoration. In fact, the etymology of the word Jomon means cord pattern. Since no kilns have been excavated from the Jomon period, it is believed that the ancients fired these vessels in open fires.
According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline essay, "All Jomon pots were made by hand, without the aid of a wheel, the potter building up the vessel from the bottom with coil upon coil of soft clay. As in all other Neolithic cultures, women produced these early potteries. The clay was mixed with a variety of adhesive materials, including mica, lead, fibers, and crushed shells. After the vessel was formed, tools were employed to smooth both the outer and interior surfaces. When completely dry, it was fired in an outdoor bonfire at a temperature of no more than about 900 C."
Provenance: private J.H. collection, Beaverton, Oregon, USA, acquired around 2015
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#154159
Condition
Repaired from multiple pieces with areas of restoration, mainly around the lower part of the body and under the rim. Extensive deposits on surface. Nice preservation of decorative motifs.