新石器時代 陶壺|Pitcher (Hu)
Unknown Artist
ca. 2500 BC
Medium
Earthenware
Dimensions
H. 9 3/8 in. (23.8 cm); W. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
China · Neolithic period
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in honor of the Weber family, 1987
Accession Number
1987.409.4
Art Historical Context
This modest yet remarkable earthenware pitcher, known as a *hu*, hails from China's Neolithic period around 2500 BC. Standing just 9⅜ inches tall and 8¾ inches wide, it exemplifies the practical artistry of early farming communities in ancient China. Crafted by an unknown potter, its simple form—a wide mouth and rounded body—suggests it was designed for everyday use, such as storing grain, water, or fermented liquids essential to settled village life. During the Neolithic era, pottery like this represented a technological leap, with hand-built earthenware fired in open pits or early kilns to ...