Warring States Period Jar, Impressed Relief, Southeastern China
East Asia, China, Warring States period, ca. 475–221 BCE. A generously swollen grayware jar of imposing scale, its tapered bulbous body rising to a sloping shoulder and a thickened, rounded rim. The lower two thirds carry four broad registers of impressed relief ornament, a dense diamond net worked in chevron and lozenge courses, the crisp paddle stamping still catching light across every facet. Faint pink pigment lingers in the recesses, while the burnished upper zone remains plain, an intentional contrast between smooth shoulder and textured belly. Such stamped earthenware jars served domestic and mortuary storage alike, holding grain, wine, or provisions, and their geometric skins descend from the paddle-and-anvil traditions of southeastern China. Mineral deposits and earthen encrustation attest to long burial. Size: 12" Diam x 17" H (30.5 cm Diam x 43.2 cm H).
Impressed geometric stampwork of this kind is the signature of the "geometric ware" horizon that flourished in the Yangzi valley and the southeastern provinces from the late Bronze Age into the Warring States centuries. Potters beat the leather-hard wall with a carved wooden paddle while supporting it from within with a stone anvil, a technique that both compacted the clay body and left an ornamental skin. The lozenge net, sometimes read as a stylized woven mat or basketry, belongs to a repertoire that also includes cord, chevron, and stamped-square patterns.
The Warring States era (traditionally 475 to 221 BCE) saw the Zhou order dissolve into seven contending states, a period of ferocious military innovation matched by the philosophical ferment of Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist schools. Utilitarian ceramics like this jar were the workhorses of that world, their forms echoing, in humble clay, the swelling profiles of contemporary cast vessels. Survivals at this scale, unbroken, are uncommon.
Provenance: Private NYC. collection, acquired at a NYC. Asian art fair, 1990’s.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
73483
Condition
Excellent ancient surface patina, with mineral deposits and scattered encrustation. Intact, excellent condition.
Buyer's Premium
30%
East Asia, China, Warring States period, ca. 475–221 BCE. A generously swollen grayware jar of imposing scale, its tapered bulbous body rising to a sloping shoulder and a thickened, rounded rim. The lower two thirds carry four broad registers of impressed relief ornament, a dense diamond net worked in chevron and lozenge courses, the crisp paddle stamping still catching light across every facet. Faint pink pigment lingers in the recesses, while the burnished upper zone remains plain, an intentional contrast between smooth shoulder and textured belly. Such stamped earthenware jars served domestic and mortuary storage alike, holding grain, wine, or provisions, and their geometric skins descend from the paddle-and-anvil traditions of southeastern China. Mineral deposits and earthen encrustation attest to long burial. Size: 12" Diam x 17" H (30.5 cm Diam x 43.2 cm H).
Impressed geometric stampwork of this kind is the signature of the "geometric ware" horizon that flourished in the Yangzi valley and the southeastern provinces from the late Bronze Age into the Warring States centuries. Potters beat the leather-hard wall with a carved wooden paddle while supporting it from within with a stone anvil, a technique that both compacted the clay body and left an ornamental skin. The lozenge net, sometimes read as a stylized woven mat or basketry, belongs to a repertoire that also includes cord, chevron, and stamped-square patterns.
The Warring States era (traditionally 475 to 221 BCE) saw the Zhou order dissolve into seven contending states, a period of ferocious military innovation matched by the philosophical ferment of Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist schools. Utilitarian ceramics like this jar were the workhorses of that world, their forms echoing, in humble clay, the swelling profiles of contemporary cast vessels. Survivals at this scale, unbroken, are uncommon.
Provenance: Private NYC. collection, acquired at a NYC. Asian art fair, 1990’s.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
73483
Condition
Excellent ancient surface patina, with mineral deposits and scattered encrustation. Intact, excellent condition.
Buyer's Premium
30%
