Object Number | 49-14-10 |
Current Location | Collections Storage |
Culture | Chinese |
Provenience | China |
Period | Shang Dynasty |
Date Made | Shang Dynasty |
Section | Asian |
Materials | Clay |
Iconography | Owl |
Description | Black ware. The owl-head cover fits over the neck of the jar. Head, feathers, etc. deeply carved. 1 foot damaged. The owl seems to have been the totem of the Shang rulers. It was severely rejected by the succeeding (Zhou) Dynasty which considered it an emblem of evil-- as it has been ever since. It is a familiar form for ritual bronzes of the Shang. |
Credit Line | Bequest of Julia Morgan through brother Hugh Morgan, 1949 |
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