Painted Pottery Jar (Hu)

Chinese Neolithic period, Majiayao culture, ca. 2500–2000 BCE
Earthenware with painted decoration, height 5 in (12.7 cm)
Provenance: Ex Roland Auctions, New York; from the Estate of Ronald Blatt (owner of Blatt Billiards, New York City)

A finely hand-coiled globular jar with twin strap handles, the flaring neck and rounded shoulder painted in iron-oxide black and red geometric designs against a buff ground. The dynamic spiral and cross-hatched motifs—typical of the Majiayao cultural horizon of Gansu and Qinghai provinces—reflect the sophisticated abstract aesthetic of early Chinese ceramic art.

Such vessels were produced during the late Neolithic for ritual and funerary use, representing some of the earliest painted pottery traditions in East Asia. The lively patterns, likely symbolic of water and life cycles, anticipate the refined ceramic artistry of later dynasties.

Condition: Minor rim chips and surface wear consistent with age; pigments well preserved with strong visual contrast.