Stem Cup

The Longshan culture of north and northeast China is best known for its thin, hard, black-burnished pottery. Longshan potters took advantage of the new potter’s-wheel technology, well-refined clays, and high-fire kilns to create one of the most technically accomplished wares of the Neolithic era. Using fast-turning wheels, potters could create vessels with eggshell-thin walls. The bulbous stem, perforated by slits, was created on the wheel separately from the cup’s bowl, and then attached before firing. Although typically devoid of painted decoration or clay appliqué, Longshan wares were fired in a reduction-kiln atmosphere, which darkened their surfaces.