Covered jar with two animal-head handles

The shape of this ceramic jar corresponds to the pou, the earlier ritual bronzes fashioned in the Central Plains. As a result of the wide distribution of Zhou culture into the south, the local wealthy classes picked up the taste for performing ceremony as was the fashion in the metropolitan areas. By the time of the Han, the pou prevailed throughout the country, potted to incorporate minor regional differences. The incised comb design on this piece was the particular preference of potters who worked for the Nanyue kingdom in Guangdong (219-11 BC).