Description:
Amphora-type vase with slender neck and wide shoulders with long handles terminating in phoenix heads at the mouth. Belongs to a well-known type which seems to have been derived from a Hellenistic model.

Label Text:
Installed in Art Before 700 CE, Spring 2025

These two vessels are both amphorae—a form defined by its bulbous body, slender neck, and curving side handles. While the form originated in Greece, it was likely introduced into China through Rome via the trade routes known as the Silk Roads.

The earlier Greek example on the right depicts goddesses—possibly Hera and Hebe—involved in a religious ceremony. Although the ceremony itself is not shown, the wreath, crowns, and libation vessels represented on the vase are those commonly associated with sacrificial scenes.

The later example, from China, takes the classic amphora form and adds the more local adornment of dragon-headed handles. It was made during the Tang dynasty, when the ruling elite were particularly open to artistic and cultural influences from abroad.

[Displayed with Nolan Amphora, MH 1929.4.B.SII]

Tags:
vessels

Subjects:
glaze (coating by location); Stoneware

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=MH+1964.3.J.SII

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