Vessel; China, Majiayao Culture, Neolithic period, 3300-2000 BC.

Vessel; China, Majiayao Culture, Neolithic period, 3300-2000 BC.
Polychrome terracotta.
Attached thermoluminescence.
Measurements: 39 x 42 cm.
Ceramic vessel belonging to the Neolithic period. The structure of the vessel has an ovoid shape, with a straight, wide neck and finally a slightly flared mouth. It also has two circular handles located under the shoulders that delimit the decoration of the piece. Ornamentally the elements are arranged on the upper half, these acquire an aesthetic oatron created through geometric motifs applied in black on the reddish surface of the terracotta, which establishes a color contrast that characterizes the piece of a great expressiveness.
The Majiayao culture determines a group of Neolithic communities located in the northern part of the Yellow River region in Gansu and Qinghai, in China, between the IV and III millennium BC. This culture is so named because the archaeological site concerning this piece was found for the first time in 1924 near the village of Majiayao in Lintao County, Gansu by the Swedish archaeologist Johan Gunnar Andersson, who considered it part of the Yangshao culture. The Majiayao culture is mainly recognized for its high quality ceramic production, decorated with engobes forming geometric patterns. Also noteworthy are the remains of copper and bronze pieces found.