Small Jar (Guan)
Unknown Artist
2300–2000 BCE
Medium
Earthenware with pigment
Dimensions
H. 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
China · Neolithic period, Majiayao culture, Machang type
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Charlotte C. and John C. Weber Collection, Gift of Charlotte C. and John C. Weber, 1994
Accession Number
1994.605.130
Art Historical Context
This delicate Small Jar (Guan), around 2300–2000 BCE during China's Neolithic period, hails from the Majiao culture's Machang type in the upper Yellow River region. Standing just 3 3/4 inches (9.5 cm) tall, this earthenware vessel exemplifies the early ingenuity of ancient communities who thrived as farmers and artisans, producing pottery for daily storage, cooking, or possibly ritual use. Its modest size belies its age—over 4,000 years old—offering a tangible link to one of China's prehistoric heartlands. Made from earthenware and adorned with pigment, the jar showcases rudimentary yet sophi...