Pair of Leather Bag-Shaped Flasks with Covers

916–1125
Part 1: 24.5 x 16.5 x 16 cm (9 5/8 x 6 1/2 x 6 5/16 in.); Part 2: 23.5 x 17.5 x 13.8 cm (9 1/4 x 6 7/8 x 5 7/16 in.)
Weight: 1.32 kg (2.91 lbs.)
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Did You Know?

These earthenware vessels are intentionally made to look like leather storage bags with details that resemble stitching around the spout and handle.

Description

Flasks like these derive their shapes from leather bags; even the edges are finely rouletted to resemble the seams of sewn leather. These were used by the nomadic Khitan people who established the Liao kingdom in Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, and North China. Such wares represented the Liao adoption of the Tang Chinese ceramic tradition, and yet they expressed ethnic identity and new innovations resulted from the cultural borrowing.
Pair of Leather Bag-Shaped Flasks with Covers

Pair of Leather Bag-Shaped Flasks with Covers

916–1125

Northeast China, Liao dynasty (916-1125)

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