The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 15, 2026

A mottled amber-brown ceramic vessel shaped like an owl features a rounded body and removable head lid. Large circular eyes and a hooked beak define the face, accented with yellow and cream tones. Carved, overlapping patterns representing feathers decorate the wings. Naturalistic, the owl has an upright posture and a pitted, textured surface. Exposed reddish-orange clay is visible at the neck and base, contrasting with the blotchy glaze.

Owl-shaped Jar

206 BCE–9 CE

China, Henan province, Western Han dynasty

(206 BCE–8 CE)
Amber-brown glazed low-fired pottery
Overall: 19 x 11.9 x 13.4 cm (7 1/2 x 4 11/16 x 5 1/4 in.)
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.178.2
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The jar cover is modeled in the shape of an owl's head.

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.
  • 1970s–2008
    Purchased by the parents of Yves Bonan, by descent to Yves Bonan, Venice, Italy
    2008
    (K.Y. Fine Art, Hong Kong, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Keithley)
    2008–2020
    Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2020–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Von Spee, Clarissa. "Chinese Ceramics and Works on Paper." In The Keithley Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, edited by Heather Lemonedes Brown, 194–229. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2022. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 194–195; Mentioned: pp. 259–261
  • Impressionism to Modernism: The Keithley Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 11, 2022-January 8, 2023).
  • {{cite web|title=Owl-shaped Jar|url=false|author=|year=206 BCE–9 CE|access-date=15 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.178.2