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Pair of Owl-shaped Jars

206 BCE–9 CE
(206 BCE–8 CE)
Amber-brown glazed low-fired pottery
Overall: 19 x 13.8 x 11.8 cm (7 1/2 x 5 7/16 x 4 5/8 in.)
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.178
Location: 241B Arts of Ancient China
Public Domain
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Did You Know?

Each jar cover is modeled in the shape of an owl's head.

Description

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.
Pair of Owl-shaped Jars

Pair of Owl-shaped Jars

206 BCE–9 CE

China, Henan province, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE)

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