Jar

Aesthetic ideals during the High Tang reflect the flourishing culture and economy of the period, as forms developed with a sense of fullness, symbolic of nobility and wealth. Among three-color glazed wares, this type of jar with a rounded rim and a short neck matching the full body on a flat base powerfully expresses the Tang ideal of plumpness. Pieces of this shape, sometimes accompanied by a cover, were beloved by potters, who decorated them with a variety of patterns adopted from exotic textiles (Luoyang 1980: 122-3; Li 1989: pl. 42).