Neolithic Majiayao Culture Straight-Body Painted Pottery Bowl With Grid & Wave Motifs, Majiayao Culture 3300 BCE-2050 BCE

拍品描述

Dimensions: 16 cm (6.30 in) in diameter, 11 cm (4.33 in) in height, Early to Middle Neolithic (4th millennium BCE to early 2nd millennium BCE). Condition and Provenance: This bowl is in excellent condition, with no through cracks or signs of glued repairs. The rim shows only minor signs of burial damage; no signs of modern polishing, repainting, or acid washing have been found. The dense, solid red clay body retains a thick, natural crust and patina from burial. The black mineral pigment decoration, consisting of grids and layered waves, encircles the entire vessel; some fading and wear are entirely natural results of thousands of years of burial. The original rotary finishing marks on the low foot are perfectly preserved, and all soil rust and original patina have not been artificially cleaned or treated. This bowl was originally in the collection of a collector in Gansu, then consigned to an antique gallery in Hong Kong for auction, and finally acquired in 2021 by a private collector in Pennsylvania, USA, specializing in prehistoric pottery. Hong Kong, Pennsylvania, and Vancouver are major global trading centers for Neolithic Chinese painted pottery artifacts. Description: This Majiayao culture straight-walled painted pottery bowl, decorated with grid and wave patterns, was a daily food container used by prehistoric tribes in the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Gansu-Qinghai, and also served as a sacrificial object in tribal rituals. It is a typical representative of the composite geometric water pattern on Majiayao pottery. The bowl has an open mouth, a straight body, slightly narrowed at the bottom, and a low foot. The overall shape is dignified and full, with balanced proportions. Multiple horizontal boundary lines divide the outer decorative area, with intersecting square patterns and layered wave patterns surrounding the body. Each square is filled with intersecting shading lines, and the flowing water is depicted with layered curves. Vertical stripes separate the various pattern groups, forming a symmetrical and balanced composition. The brushstrokes are even and consistent, demonstrating mature painting techniques. Wave patterns and square patterns are the core and iconic decorative patterns of Majiayao painted pottery. The wave pattern symbolizes the nourishment of the Yellow River and the prayer for abundant rainfall, while the checkered pattern represents the furrows of farmland, carrying the primal expectation of a bountiful harvest; pottery combining these two decorative motifs is quite rare in the antique market. This piece was handcrafted using the traditional coil-building technique, and after rough polishing, it was hand-painted with manganese-based natural mineral pigments and fired once in a low-temperature wood-fired kiln, allowing the pigments to adhere firmly to the red pottery body. The original rotation marks on the foot provide important material evidence for the study of Neolithic pottery manufacturing techniques, prehistoric abstract painting art, and primitive agriculture and water god worship beliefs in Northwest China. A large Majiayao pottery bowl with complete decoration is extremely rare in overseas collections. This bowl retains its original, unrestored excavated surface, decorated with multiple layers of rich patterns, possessing extremely high archaeological research value and prehistoric art collection value. It is highly sought after by North American antiquarian collectors and small and medium-sized private museums overseas, and is a top-tier treasure in the collection of ancient painted pottery.

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