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Owl-shaped Jar
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineOwl-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 11.9 x 13.4 cm (7 1/2 x 4 11/16 x 5 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift, 2020.178.2
