JAR, Green-glazed, Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)

This is a green-glazed jar from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). During this period, the first true celadon wares emerged in the history of Chinese ceramics, alongside the production of ash-glazed pottery, polychrome gray pottery, black pottery, and lead-glazed ceramics. Transitioning from the bronze culture that flourished from the Shang and Zhou dynasties through the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Han Dynasty witnessed a technological innovation in the firing of celadon, leading to the creation of a diverse array of ceramics in both technique and form. Among these, green-glazed and brown-glazed wares are believed to have served as ritual vessels rather than utilitarian objects.

This piece is a Han Dynasty green-glazed jar with handles, exhibiting a subtle silvering that differs from the more commonly seen silvered green-glazed jars, indicating a unique chemical transformation. It retains traces of the soil from its excavation site.

Its elegant form evokes the beauty of blooming flowers. (After 10 hours, there was no leakage.)