The earliest piece in the collection
The earliest pottery was neither painted nor glazed. Even after Chinese potters began doing both, they continued to create pieces that echo the earth from which the pots were made. In some cases the goal was a utilitarian object. Pots used in cooking fires quickly become smudged, for example, so why decorate them? But it's also true that pottery can have an aesthetic impact without being painted or glazed. Instead, potters can focus on shape and surface texture, as they did in the examples shown below.
The earliest piece in the collection
Mijayao unpainted vessels
Tripod vessels
A jar with a face, and related pieces
A pedestaled food dish and lid
A model of a grain mill
Two dogs?
A late Shang incised jar
An early Han cocoon jar
A few more Han jars
A Han censer
Tang flame jar
A vessel of the Siwa culture
A vessel from Szechuan
Yixing teapots
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