This Machang phase jar, dating to approximately 2300–2000 BCE, is a refined example of Neolithic Majiayao culture pottery from the upper Yellow River region in northwestern China. Part of the final phase of the Majiayao tradition, Machang ceramics are known for their more standardized forms and increasingly complex painted designs.
This particular jar features a rounded, globular body with a slightly constricted neck and two small loop handles near the shoulder—likely functional for suspension or transport. The surface is burnished, giving it a subtle sheen that enhances both durability and visual appeal. Decoration includes geometric swirling motifs, painted in black slip over a reddish-orange clay body.
Used for storing water, grain, or ritual offerings, this vessel combines technical finesse with bold visual language, and was likely made with a coiling technique and carefully smoothed by hand.
Today, such jars are appreciated for their balance of form and design, and for their role in one of China’s earliest traditions of painted pottery—where symbolism, function, and early artistic expression converge.
Condition: Chips and loss to rim. Repaired crack on side wall
