Diversified Painted Pottery in china
10 min readTo put it simple, painted pottery refers to pottery decorated with painted patterns, and its making methods have been mentioned above. The emergence of painted pottery was a reflection of aesthetic pursuit of humankind, through which the brilliant wisdomof our ancestors can be seen.
Painted Pottery of Yangshao Culture
The Yangshao culture sawthe peak of painted pottery production in the prehistoric times in China. It was a Neolithic culture distributing at the middle reaches of the Yellow River, and was named after the Yangshao village in Mianchicounty, Henan province, where its trace was first found. Of its pottery wares, mostof them were red pottery, followed by grey pottery. Black drawings on red pottery was the most characteristic technique. Nonetheless, due to diversified natural environments and cultural traditions in different regions, patterns on Yangshao pottery varied fromsite to site.
Patterns of human-face and fish are the most typical designs on Banpo-type potteries of the Yangshao culture. Potteries with such patterns are usually made offine red clay with an open mouth and a coiled edge, and the symmetrical combination of human-face and fishes is decorated on the interior wall with black colours, sometimes also accompanied with a fishnet pattern. The link between exquisitely made vessels and such mysterious patterns is really thought-provoking for people today, and explanations have been put forward in different ways with regard to these patterns. Some suggest that this design is just a mask, while others deem it a production of totem worship. Though we may never fully decode the original purposeof these patterns, what we are certain about is that these ingenious potteries are definitely not commodities, but specially applied for particular ritual ceremonies, while the repeating patterns of human-face, fish and fishnet reflect the close relationship between men and water. The Banpo-type potteries were so named because they were first discovered at Banpo site of Xi’ an. Black was applied as the main colour, while fish pattern was one of the most popular decorations. It underwent an evolution from being realistic to abstract, featuring a simple but lively and highl aesthetic style, and has always been considered as a masterpiece of primitive art.
Besides colour painting, symbols in diversified shapes are incised on edges of some Banpo-type dishes and bowls as well, such as vertical lines or “I”shape patterns. Though simple as they are, they bear great research value.
The Miaodigou-type pottery jar with marabou, fish and ax patterns, which was unearthed in Linru, Henan province, is another masterpiece of the Yangshao culture.
The Miaodigou-type potteries were first discovered in Shaanxian county, Henan province. Different from those of Banpo-type, most patterns on this type of potteries were transformed geometric designs, such as circular floral patterns consisting of dots, crochet leaves, stripes and arc triangle lines, with a few complements of animal patterns like birds and frogs. Most of these decorations are drawn in black against white engobe on the exterior wall of utensils, while red colour is occasionally applied. This jar with marabou, fish and ax patterns is 47centimeter high, with a mouth diameter of 32.7 centimeter. An implicative picture is drawn at the exterior with bright colours: on one side stands a marabou with round eyes,a long beak and two slim legs. With its head perking and body slightl retroverting, it catches a big fish in its mouth.
Opposite the bird,a stone ax with long handle is erected, with clear portrait of its eyelet, incised symbols and enwinding ropes on it. This painting vividly presents the bird’s movement in a special pose, which might have been created t convey certain meanings. It could be considered as a “real painting”in China’s prehistoric time, but what was the message the creator indeed wanted to deliver? Theshape of this jar provides us with some clues. It bears an open mouth and a straight body, but with a perforation at the middle of the bottom. Therefore, probably it was not an applied vessel, but a special item used for funeral or ritual activities. The bird and fish in this picture were perhaps the totems of two tribes, while the ax suggests the owner’s special status. In China’s prehistoric time and Bronze Age, ax-shaped tools were usually special items to represent might, which could only be owned by tribe chiefs.
In addition, Miaodigou-type pottery is also renowned for its artistic animal shape, such as the eagle-shaped ding excavated in Hua county, Shaanxi province.
Through penetrating observation of the artisan, the eagle’s body and its sharp eyes were vividly depicted. It can be rated as one of the finest works in early Chinese art history.
Besides Banpo-type and Miaodigou-type, some other types of the Yangshao culture, such as Shijia-type, Xiwangcun-type and Hougang-type all boasted rich production of painted potteries, which were mainly characterized by geometric patterns, such as “s”and”x”designs, band patterns, arc lines, screw patterns, concentric rings, wave lines, orchid-leaf patterns and saw-tooth patterns. With different combination of these patterns, potteries became both lively and elegant, and fully expressed people’s aesthetic sentiment in the Neolithic age.
Painted Pottery of Dawenkou Culture
The Dawenkou culture was part of Neolithic culture located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It was named after the Dawenkou site excavated in 1959, inTai’ an county, Shandong province. It mainly distributed around Mount Taishan of Shandong, reaching the Yellow Sea in the east, southern bank of the Bohai Sea in the north, neighboring the west-Shandong plain in the west and the north-Huaihe Riverarea of Jiangsu province in the south, while some traces of the culture have been found in Anhui and Henan provinces.
Red pottery made of sand-clay or fine-clay formed the main category produced by the Dawenkou culture, supplemented by some grey pottery, black pottery, and a few hard white potteries. Fine-clay potteries of Dawenkou were mainly decorated with openwork patterns, incised lines, colour paints, or simple red paints, while some sand-clay wares were added with embossed patterns or basket patterns. In terms of bottom types, the three-feet and ring feet were the most common, while plain bottom.
The Dawenkou culture underwent three stages of development. The early stage was about the period from 4300 BC to 3500 BC, represented by Liulin and Wangyin sites.
Red potteries took the majority then, and typical utensils included -shaped ware, caldron-shaped bowl-shaped, painted basin, etc. The main colours of paints were red and black, while multi-colourization on white engobe gradually became popular, decorated with patterns of petals, dots and crochet leaves, and lozenges. The middle age was about the period from 3500 BC to 2800 BC, represented by the tombs of the Dawenkou cemetery in its early and middle periods. Typical wares of the time included jar-shaped with angular abdomen, with solid foot, ring-foot with large openwork patterns and kettle for carring on the bake with deep abdomen.
Beside petal patterns applied earlier, plucked wave and grid patterns were the most popular, while pattern of red dots appeared later. The late stage lasted from 2800 BC to 2500 BC, represented by tombs of the Dawenkou cemetery in its late period. During this period, the number of grayish black pottery and yellowpottery radically increased. Typical wares included with basket patterns, with pocket foot, with angular abdomen, bottle, burnished black high-stem cup and with big mouth and basket pattern, etc. During the time, painted potteries decreased, while the spiral pattern came into prevalence.
Painted Pottery of Majiayao Culture
TheMajiayao culture was a name given by archaeologists to a group of late Neolithic communities who lived primarily in the upper reaches of the YellowRiver, with its first discovery of Majiayao site in Lintao, Gansu province. Greatly influenced by the Yangshao culture in Guanzhong area, it also boasted extraordinary advanced production of painted pottery. Majiayao-type potteryis best known for the ingenious combination of pottery shape and decorative pattern, displaying a different charmof prehistoric art.
Potteries of Majiayao type feature fine clay and delicate craftsmanship. Most ofthem are carefully polished, and patterns are painted in black against orange orbeige ground, while white paint would also occasionally be applied. Large vessels are only decorated on the upper part, while small products such as basins and bowlsare usually decorated entirely. The painted basin with dancer patterns, excavated at Shangsunjia village in Datong county, Qinghai province in 1973, is a masterpiece of Majiayao pottery. On the interior wall of the basin, three groups of dancing figures are portrayed. One group comprises five persons, each with a tail-like ornament attached on one side of their bodies, probably depicting the scene of a religious ceremony where people imitated animals.
Another precious work of Majiayao-type pottery is the painted pottery bottle with an embossed naked figure, excavated at Liuwan site, Qinghai province, It is the earliest prehistoric painted pottery with embossment found in China so far. This bottle is 33.4 centimeter high, embossed with a naked figure on one side and pattern of frog on the other. The female organs of the figure, such as the protuberant belly, breasts and navel, were purposely stressed.
However, there is a projection at her private parts, implying that the figure might be a hermaphrodite. With such a special image, as well as the frog pattern on the back, we infer that rather than a daily commodity, it is a special vesselconcerned with worshipping of fertility. Moreover, it witnessed a significant innovation in prehistoric art for its combination of painting and sculpture.
The Qijia culture is another culture following the Majiayao culture in theregion of Gansu. Its pottery utensils were influenced by the latter, and are represented by jar with big handles and jar with flared mouth and two han dles.
However, the painted potteries of the Qijia culture were not as developed as previous cultures. Black is applied as the main colour, and patterns are simple than those of the Yangshao and Majiayao cultures, featured by lozenge and grid patterns constituted by diagonal lines. They were regularly composed, thus were not as flowing and rhythmic as patterns of Majiayao. The Qijia culture boasted a well developed sculpture art, and some lifelike sculpture of human heads were excavated in the region.
Hemudu Culture and Liangzhu Culture
Located at lower reaches of the Yangtze River region in Neolithic age, the Hemudu culture was a name given by archaeologists for their first discovery of Hemudu site in Yuyao, Zhejiang province. Pottery wares of Hemudu were mainly made by hand, and due to materials such as chaffs mixed in raw clay, most of the products belonged to black pottery mixed with charcoal. The main decorations usually are simple patterns such as rope pattern, but sometimes animal patterns such as phoenix.
Pig and fish, and transformed plant patterns are also portrayed on pottery. The most characteristic pottery works unearthed in Hemudu include the black pottery basin with incised fish, water-weed and phoenix design and the black bowl with pig pattern. Animals depicted on these utensils are highly lifelike, especially the pig on the bowl, which is similar to wild boars we see today.
The Liangzhu culture, located at lower reaches of the Yangtse River during the Neolithic Age of China, was a name given by archaeologists for their discovery of the Liangzhu site in Yuhang district of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Unlike the Hemudu culture, pottery wares of the Liangzhu culture were mainly made by wheels. Black potteries took the majority, complemented with a small amount of painted or coloured drawing potteries. As the most characteristic works of the Liangzhuculture, black pottery was carefully polished thus shine with a lacquer-like luster. For painted potteries, red-brown colour was usually painted on pink engobe, while black was painted on red engobe. Colour drawing potteries also com prised man different types of colourization such as red paints on yellowengobe, gold on black and red on black. Potteries produced in the Yangtze River region differ much to those fromthe YellowRiver basin both in material and decorative style, while painted pottery is a particular example. It is not the main pottery category in civilizations along Yangtze River, and has rarely been excavated from sites in the region. However, painted pottery in the south broke through from the mere application of black or red only, with colours such as pink and golden yellow added.
Boasting a rich variation of paints. Patterns of animals and plants on potteries of the Yangtse River region also differ from decorations of Yellow River potteries, which might result from the different life and labor conditions.
For instance, the pig image from Hemudu epitomized livestock domestication in the area. Therefore, pottery decorations are not only an aesthetic expression, but also provide precious image documentation of ancient times.
Hongshan Culture
Hongshan culture, endowed with its name by the discovery of Hongshanhou site in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 1935, was formed through interchangebetween the Yangshao culture from Central Plains and the nomadic culture in the north.A large amount of pottery figurines were excavated from sacrificial sites of Hongshan, all vivid in expression and with obvious female characteristics. They are probably “statues of goddess”related to sacrifice. Their existence might have much to do with the matriarchal society then.
Besides plentiful pottery figurines, the Hongshan culture also produced a largenumber of characteristic painted potteries. Most of those painted potteries are handmade red brown sand-clay pottery or red fine-clay pottery, while some are addedwith red engobe before drawing red and black paints. Simple geometric patterns such as stripe pattern, whorl lines, lozenge and triangle designs are the main decorations, reflecting the influence from the Yangshao culture.
The discovery of the Hongshan culture, especially the finding of goddess temple and sacrificial sites, manifests the rich spiritual world of ancient Chinese people, while its pottery culture represented by goddess statues demonstrates the consummate craftsmanship of our ancestors.
