Celadon granary jar

Tags: porcelain | pottery | tomb

Most of these grain jars are made of pottery and porcelain. They are specially made burial objects from the Wu, East Jin, Southern, and Six Dynasties period. Their main purpose is to ensure that the owner of the tomb would still have sufficient food after death, they did not have much practical value in real life. The jar is divided into two sections. The upper section has two connected chambers. The shoulders of the upper chamber carry four little bowls. There is a long flat stick connecting the upper and lower chamber. Two flying birds flank the mouth of the jar, looking up.There is an inscription on the front and back of the lower chamber. Other than the one character that is unclear, you can make out the inscription to read: “Changsha Station, State Governor Yi-Sun”. Outlined deeply is a Hu, a member of an aboriginal tribe in China, wearing a pointed hat and kneeling with both hands on his chest, on either side of the inscription. Between the inscriptions are two three-story buildings. There are four conical top chambers and the opening of the bottom chamber si interconnected with the body of the jar. The bottom section of the jar has a wide, double-lipped mouth, a wide belly and a flat bottom. Five lines go from the shoulders to the belly of the jar. Delicately etched rings and lucky animals decorate the door between the lines. 

 

   

National Museum of History