Collection Online as of January 28, 2023
Owl-shaped Jar
Part of a set. See all set records
China, Henan province, Western Han dynasty
(206 BC–AD 9)
Amber-brown glazed low-fired pottery
Overall: 19 x 11.7 x 13.6 cm (7 1/2 x 4 5/8 x 5 3/8 in.)
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.178.1
Location
not on view
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.