Owl-shaped Jar

206 BCE–9 CE
Overall: 19 x 11.9 x 13.4 cm (7 1/2 x 4 11/16 x 5 1/4 in.)
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Location: not on view

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The jar cover is modeled in the shape of an owl's head.

Description

Pottery vessels in the shape of owls were made since Neolithic times and throughout the Bronze age. These jars in the form of vigilant owls may have provided a tomb occupant with grain in the afterlife. However, the meaning of these mysterious birds and the association of the owl motif with burial sites in China is not fully understood.
Owl-shaped Jar

Owl-shaped Jar

206 BCE–9 CE

China, Henan province, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE)

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