East Asia, Japan, Middle Jomon period, ca. 3000 BCE to 1000 BCE, most likely about 4,500 years old. A sizeable, hand-built terracotta vessel of an elegant form with a flat base, a gently tapering body, a rounded top, a thin rim, and a small suspension loop below a grooved crest. The exterior walls below the top section are impressed with an uneven, vertically-oriented corrugated pattern made by pressing a cord onto the wet clay before firing. The body, separated into halves by a pair of notched vertical bars, is also decorated with an abstract concentric roundel in low relief, the top of which traces upwards to a coiled terminal. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline essay, "They (potters of the Incipient Period) produced deep pottery cooking containers with pointed bottoms and rudimentary cord markings—among the oldest examples of pottery known in the world." This artistically-complex vessel dates to the middle period as those from the early or late periods had relatively simplistic decorations. Size: 10.25" W x 14.375" H (26 cm x 36.5 cm).

The ancient Japanese Jomon Period is known for its distinctive pottery tradition that set it apart from the Paleolithic Age. Jomon pottery vessels are among the oldest in the world and typically present rope- or cord-like impressed decoration. In fact, the etymology of the word Jomon means cord pattern. Since no kilns have been excavated from the Jomon period, it is believed that the ancients fired these vessels in open fires.

According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline essay, "All Jomon pots were made by hand, without the aid of a wheel, the potter building up the vessel from the bottom with coil upon coil of soft clay. As in all other Neolithic cultures, women produced these early potteries. The clay was mixed with a variety of adhesive materials, including mica, lead, fibers, and crushed shells. After the vessel was formed, tools were employed to smooth both the outer and interior surfaces. When completely dry, it was fired in an outdoor bonfire at a temperature of no more than about 900° C." (https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jomo/hd_jomo.htm)

For a stylistically similar example, please see the Dallas Museum of Art, accession number 1965.15.FA: https://collections.dma.org/artwork/5011496

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: private Chicago, Illinois, USA collection

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#133816

Vessel repaired from several large pieces with some restoration, resurfacing, overpainting, and small losses along break lines. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age as expected, small chips to handle, body, top, and base, with fading to some corded patterns and pigmentation. Great earthen deposits throughout.