Bowl

The Yangshao culture (c. 5000-3000 BCE) located in the middle region of the Yellow River (Huang he) was at its zenith in the fifth millenium BCE. A complex neolithic settlement was discovered at the village of Banpo near Xi'an in Shanxi province which became the namesake to a whole range of ceramic artifacts made in this region. Banpo phase (4800-4300 BCE) pottery is rich in shapes and decorative techniques including painting. The beauty of this relatively plain bowl, however, is based on its fine, even potting and well-proportioned profile. Thin walled and perfectly hemispherical in shape, this elegant vessel exemplifies the highest standard of hand-built ceramic production. Evidence from excavation sites around Banpo suggests that large bowls such as this were sometimes used as lids to funerary urns.