Ancient Chinese, Northern Wei Pottery Funerary cocoon-shaped jar with Thermoluminescence test (TL) and Spanish Export License. - 29.6 cm

ITEM: Funerary cocoon-shaped jar with Thermoluminescence test (TL)
MATERIAL: Pottery
CULTURE: Chinese
PERIOD: Han dynasty, 206 B.C - 220 A.D
DIMENSIONS: 296 mm x 330 mm x 203 mm
CONDITION: Good condition. Includes Thermoluminescence test (TL) by QED Laboratory (Reference: QED1703/FC-0907)
PROVENANCE: Ex French private collection, from Toulouse, acquired in the 1980s
PARALLEL: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Object number 1994.605.31. Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, Accession number MMA 2012.91.60. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Inv. 2014.177

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity, Export license, Thermoluminescence test by QED Laboratory (Reference: QED1703/FC-0907)

If you bid outside the European Union and win the item, we will have to apply for an export licence for your country and shipping will take 3 to 5 weeks.

The cocoon-shaped jar is a distinctive type of pottery vessel characteristic of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE), though its form first appeared in the preceding Qin and even Warring States periods. This earthenware jar is defined by its oblong, ovoid, horizontal body which rests on a small, flared foot, and is topped with a narrow, cylindrical neck and everted rim. The unique shape is widely believed to be a stylized representation of a silkworm cocoon, an important symbol reflecting the immense economic and cultural significance of the silk industry in Han China. It has also been suggested that the form originated from leather vessels used by nomadic peoples on the northern and western fringes of the Han empire, a theory supported by the appearance of vertical banding patterns that resemble straps.

Functionally, the cocoon-shaped jar served primarily as a storage vessel for liquids, most commonly wine (or millet ale), in both daily life and funerary contexts. However, the majority of surviving examples were recovered from elite Han tombs, classifying them as mingqi (spirit vessels or burial goods). As a mingqi, the jar was intended to provide the deceased with necessities for the afterlife, reflecting the Han belief that the tomb was a continuation of the earthly dwelling. This tomb ware was generally made from low-fired gray earthenware and painted after firing with unfired mineral pigments—a technique known as "cold painting"—to simulate the more costly and vibrant lacquerware or bronze vessels used by the living.

The surface decoration of the Han cocoon jar is as significant as its shape, often featuring painted motifs that reflect contemporary Daoist cosmological beliefs. The most common pattern is the cloud-scroll motif (yunwen or yunqi), typically rendered in dynamic swirls of red, white, and black pigments. These scrolling clouds symbolize the celestial realm and the Daoist immortal paradise, often evoking the concept of flight or movement towards this spiritual domain. The combination of the silkworm cocoon form, which suggests transformation and rebirth, with the auspicious cloud motifs, underscores the jar's profound symbolism as an object meant to facilitate the deceased's journey to immortality and ensure their well-being in the afterlife.