China, probably Henan province, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE) / 202 BCE–9 CE
Jar (Hu)
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Jar (Hu) as ceramic (China, probably Henan province, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE) · 202 BCE–9 CE).
This earthenware wine jar's shape mimics costly bronzes, but the handles have rings that are fixed to the surface of the pot, rendering them useless.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this ceramic as earthenware with slip and painted decoration.
The museum's collection notes: Instead of depicting a real landscape, the artist focused on the rhythmic forces of nature and the movement of energy, using the scrolling form as a symbol common to all changes in nature: cloud vapors, waves, and mountains alike. Here a dragon hovers among sweeping scrolls.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtJar (Hu)Original explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.