A large pottery trumpet-neck jar, Qija culture, c. 2050-1700 BC 齊家文化 陶雙耳撇口瓶

Ronald W. Longsdorf, The Pottery Age: An Appreciation of Neolithic Ceramics from China, Circa 7000 BC - Circa 1000 BC, Hong Kong, 2020, pl. 68.

Ronald W. Longsdorf，《陶誌：中國新石器時代陶器 約西元前7000年 – 前1000年》，香港，2020年，圖版68

This elegant and graceful jar, conjured from plain red

orange clay accentuating its sublime proportions comprising of well-balanced curved contours and straight lines, is a perfect embodiment of timeless beauty in the art of Neolithic pottery. In its history, the form and aesthetics of the present jar would have superseded many forms of tribal art and any later Western art movements which were made popular in the 19th and 20th centuries.

A slightly shorter Qijia pottery jar of comparable shape from the same collection is included in Ronald W. Longsdorf, op.cit., pl. 67, and sold in these rooms, 25th May 2022, lot 824; and another closely related jar from the Muwentang collection is illustrated in Simon Kwan, Chinese Neolithic Pottery, Hong Kong, 2005, p. 235, pl. 98.