AN EXCEPTIONAL PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A BIRD, LATE NEOLITHIC PERIOD, MAJIAYAO CULTURE

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AN EXCEPTIONAL PAINTED POTTERY FIGURE OF A BIRD, LATE NEOLITHIC PERIOD, MAJIAYAO CULTURE Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 3 August 2026, based on sample number C126j51, sets the firing date of one of the samples taken between 2800 and 4200 years ago, consistent with the dating above. The other sample contained unfired material and thus could not be dated. A copy of the report accompanies this lot. Expert’s Note The most remarkable feature of this bird is the pair of enormous eyes painted across its back, precisely where one would normally expect the plumage and wings. The meaning of this extraordinary device has yet to be satisfactorily explained, although an interpretation related to the concept of a bird’s-eye perspective appears tempting. The striking simplicity of the eyes, combined with their disproportionate scale, lends them a dominant, almost hypnotic presence. To the author’s knowledge, no other animal sculpture employing a comparable pictorial device has been published in the literature or otherwise documented. China, Machang phase, c. 2200-2000 BC. Imaginatively hand-modeled, the globular body of the animal, supported on a domed foot, extending into a flattened, oval tail and a slender, sinuous neck terminating in a highly abstracted head, slightly raised and distinguished only by a rectangular crest. The surface is boldly decorated in dark brown pigment, arranged in several registers containing crosshatched patterns separated by broad bands, while two large eyes enliven the face of the avian figure. Dimensions: Length 25.3 cm The Majiayao culture developed out of the Yangshao tradition and is renowned for its highly accomplished ceramic production, particularly its painted pottery. Archaeologists conventionally divide the Majiayao culture into four successive chronological phases, Shilingxia, Majiayao, Banshan, and Machang, on the basis of developments in ceramic technology, vessel morphology, and decorative styles. Relatively few vessels from the early Shilingxia phase have been excavated, those that have been recovered being typically made of red earthenware, occasionally decorated with grey-black painted motifs. Painted pottery became far more prevalent during the succeeding Majiayao phase, when vessels were generally fashioned from orange or reddish clay and decorated with swirling or linear designs. The Banshan phase represented the artistic apogee of the tradition, producing finely finished vessels with smooth, lustrous surfaces embellished with refined and highly original painted linear compositions. By the subsequent Machang phase, ceramic production entered a period of decline. Vessels became coarser in fabric and their painted decoration less vibrant. However, a number of innovative vessel forms emerged during this final phase, including bird-shaped jars such as the present example, a distinctive type that would continue to evolve in the succeeding Qijia and Siba cultures, where zoomorphic ceramic forms became an established feature of the ceramic repertoire. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 25 November 2022, lot 802 Price: HKD 151,200 approx. EUR 18,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related decoration and motifs with similar cross-hatching patterns. Note the different form and size (18 cm).

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