Bird-shaped jar

Compressed, wide-bodied jar with open mouth, short, cylindrical, off-center neck, rounded shoulders, sides tapering inward to a small, flat base, two strap lug handles, and a small, wide tab below the shoulder, opposite the mouth and neck; buff earthenware lightly burnished and decorated with geometric designs painted in black slip before firing; decoration on the shoulders includes two large round cartouches, one with small squares and crosshatched rhombuses, the other with large dots set within a grid of crosshatched bands. Majiayao culture, Machang type. From the upper Yellow River valley region; Gansu, Qinghai, or Ningxia province. This type of jar is said to resemble a squat waterfowl, with the jar’s neck, lug handles, and tab representing a bird’s head, wings, and tail, respectively.