Covered jar

Made in imitation of a ritual bronze vessel, this high-fired stoneware is unglazed except for some accidental splashes of green glaze on the lid. Throughout the Zhou period, high-fired, impressed stoneware continued to be refined, especially in the lower reaches of the Yangzi and the southeastern provinces. For many years, the glazed and unglazed stonewares remained similar in technique and decoration. By the Eastern Zhou, glazed wares became more numerous and, by the Warring States (475-221 BCE) era, about half of all ceramics were glazed.