Vase, M.C. 9909, Entre -3000 et -1900

Date of production: between -3000 and -1900 type(s) of object(s): archaeology, beliefs - customs - cults - ceremonies, ceramics, china name(s): tableware and kitchen utensils, vase materials and techniques: terracotta, turned ceramic place(s) of execution/realization: shandong (province) comment on the place of discovery: dawenkou dimensions - artwork: height: 14cm diameter: 6. 3cm description: the site of longshan, discovered in 1928, in the district of licheng, in the province of shandong, gave its name to a neolithic culture succeeding that of dawenkou (around 4300-around 2400 bc) and sometimes confused with the last phase of the latter. Numerous excavations from the 1950s onwards clarified its vast area of ​​expansion covering, in addition to shandong, part of shaanxi, henan and a segment of the east coast of china. However, it is in shandong, among others in chengziyai and yaoguanzhuang (weifang district) that its original characters are most evident. Alongside types of terracotta in red, gray or white colors, which appeared at an earlier date and whose manufacture continues, a new ceramic appears, often wheel-mounted, with walls so thin (less than 1mm thick) that the expression "eggshell" was used to describe them. Their deep black color is accentuated by their external polish obtained by buffing, while the earth, before cooking, has the texture of leather. The vases, wetted and cooked in a reducing atmosphere, absorb the carbon released by the fuel. Its rate, on the surface of the parts, considerably exceeds the carbon content in the body of the ceramic material itself. This characteristic black color is at the origin of the expression "black pottery culture" by which the longshan culture is sometimes referred to. Relief elements (mc 9910), incisions and even additions frequently decorate longshan terracottas. High-footed goblets (mc. 9908) are truly original in the context of the chinese neolithic. According to the most commonly accepted hypothesis, this very elegant tableware would have been used for ritual libations. Acquisition method: manual donation name of donor, testator, seller: beurdeley, jean-michel date of acquisition: 01–07–1993 institution: cernuschi museum, museum of asian arts of the city of paris inventory number: m. C. 9909. Date: Entre -3000 et -1900.