Phoenix-Head Ewer, 618-906, 13 1/4 in. ( cm), Sancai ware Stoneware with molded decor under a three-color glaze, China, 7th-10th century, This classic Tang dynasty splashed glaze ewer was made specifically for burial. The unperforated beak could not function as a pouring spout and the vessel's main purpose was a fanciful tomb furnishing for the afterlife. Nothing exactly like this shape is known from the earlier Chinese ceramic tradition. A well-known group of Sassanian silver ewers recovered from tombs in south Russia reveal the inspiration for this basic ewer shape to be foreign


Size: 3872px × 5476px
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Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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