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Source Description
Pottery vessels in the shape of owls were made since Neolithic times and throughout the Bronze age. These jars in the form of vigilant owls may have provided a tomb occupant with grain in the afterlife. However, the meaning of these mysterious birds and the association of the owl motif with burial sites in China is not fully understood.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
381858
label
Owl-shaped Jar
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
381858
contentType
object
title
Owl-shaped Jar
description
Pottery vessels in the shape of owls were made since Neolithic times and throughout the Bronze age. These jars in the form of vigilant owls may have provided a tomb occupant with grain in the afterlife. However, the meaning of these mysterious birds and the association of the owl motif with burial sites in China is not fully understood.
date
206 BCE–9 CE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q106122477
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 19 x 11.7 x 13.6 cm (7 1/2 x 4 5/8 x 5 3/8 in.)
cul
China, Henan province, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE)
accession
2020.178.1
Source extras
tec
Amber-brown glazed low-fired pottery
tombstone
Owl-shaped Jar, 206 BCE–9 CE. China, Henan province, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE). Amber-brown glazed low-fired pottery; overall: 19 x 11.7 x 13.6 cm (7 1/2 x 4 5/8 x 5 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift, 2020.178.1
collection
China - Han Dynasty
didYouKnow
The jar cover is modeled in the shape of an owl's head.
citations
citation
Von Spee, Clarissa. "Chinese Ceramics and Works on Paper." In <em>The Keithley Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, </em>edited by Heather Lemonedes Brown, 194–229. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2022.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 194–195; Mentioned: pp. 259–261
creditline
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift
updatedAt
2026-06-11 12:17:40.987000
sourceId
381858
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Han Dynasty
med
Amber-brown glazed low-fired pottery
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
9d22d21f4e574a20