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Pair of Owl-shaped Jars
206 BCE–9 CE
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Pottery vessels in the shape of owls were made since Neolithic times and throughout the Bronze age. These jars in the form of vigilant owls may have provided a tomb occupant with grain in the afterlife. However, the meaning of these mysterious birds and the association of the owl motif with burial sites in China is not fully understood.
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Details
- Title: Pair of Owl-shaped Jars
- Date Created: 206 BCE–9 CE
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 19 x 13.8 x 11.8 cm (7 1/2 x 5 7/16 x 4 5/8 in.)
- Provenance: Purchased by the parents of Yves Bonan, by descent to Yves Bonan, Venice, Italy, (K.Y. Fine Art, Hong Kong, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Keithley), Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Ceramic
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2020.178
- Medium: Amber-brown glazed low-fired pottery
- Fun Fact: Each jar cover is modeled in the shape of an owl's head.
- Department: Chinese Art
- Culture: China, Henan province, Western Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 9)
- Credit Line: Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift
- Collection: China - Han Dynasty
- Accession Number: 2020.178
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