Chinese Wine Storage Vessel

Dark ribs, orange freckles and a mark on the shoulder.

Potters in Shanxi Province, China, made this wine storage vessel in pottery in the early 19th century. Tall pottery jars like this were commonly used to store wine and other goods. Fine horizontal ribbing wraps the long ovoid body, which is deep brown with patches of orange and grey. A faint marking sits near the shoulder, and the mouth is a small, rolled ring.

About 24 inches tall and 15 wide. It reads as dark sculpture in a pale room.