Chinese Wine Storage Vessel

Pale, ribbed and marked by a long dark streak.

Potters in Shanxi Province, China, made this wine storage vessel in pottery in the early 19th century. Tall pottery jars of this kind were often used to store wine, oil and grain. The pointed oval body rises from a small foot to a rounded shoulder and a banded neck. Tight, horizontal combing covers the clay, which is a dusty tan to grey with a dark diagonal stain across the lower body.

About 23 inches tall and 14 wide. Quietly elegant, with some weathering you can read.