The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Funerary Urn (Hunping)

late 200s CE

China, Western Jin dynasty

(265–316 CE)
green-glazed stoneware with molded and sculpted decoration
Diameter: 28.8 cm (11 5/16 in.); Overall: 52.1 cm (20 1/2 in.)
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1988.21
Location: 241B Arts of Ancient China

Description

Green-glazed stoneware developed greater variety in the south after the Han dynasty. Large funerary urns known as hunping, or "the urn of the soul," are evidence for its prolific production.

This type of urn features multistoried towers populated by human figures, animals, and birds. It was likely associated with the southern funerary tradition of "summons of the soul." The wandering soul of the deceased was summoned to return. The urn with architectural designs (sometimes with grains placed inside) provided a safe place of refuge.
  • ?–1988
    (James J. Freeman, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1988–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • “The Year in Review for 1988.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 76, no. 2 (February 1989): 30–75. Mentioned: p. 75, no. 228; Reproduced: p. 50 www.jstor.org
  • The Year in Review for 1988. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 1-May 14, 1989).
  • {{cite web|title=Funerary Urn (Hunping)|url=false|author=|year=late 200s CE|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1988.21