Longshan Culture (2900-1500 B.C.). Superbly formed, marks attest to it being plucked from tomb. Authenticated. 10” h, 10” d
This gray pottery is in superb form with no chips and signs of being tampered with. It shows earth encrustation and underground crawling critters’ scratch marks and root marks all over the surface of the pot, attesting to it being plucked from an underground tomb.
The Longshan tribe dwelled from about 2500-2000 B.C. in what is Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong today. The most important characteristic of this cultural group is the lack of painted pottery, with their ceramics only made in black, grey, or brown. Instead of attention on colors, the Longshan potters had mastered the art of the pottery wheel. The artistic execution of the form more than makes up for the lack of painted ornamentation. This jar is an excellent example of the kind of pottery they produced.
This piece is authenticated at the Arts of Pacific Asia Show in San Francisco in Feb. 2004.