唐 三彩陶鳯頭壶|Phoenix headed amphora

Unknown

late 7th–first half of the 8th century · Earthenware with three-color (sancai) glaze · Asian Art

The shape of either Western Asian or Central Asian metalwork could have provided the model for this Tang-dynasty earthenware ewer. However, the attachment of its elongated handle to the mouth rim rather than the body indicates a Central Asian—specifically, Sogdian—prototype. The mounted archer shooting over his shoulder, the so-called "Parthian shot," can be found in the Western ornamental lexicon.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 7th–first half of the 8th century

Medium

Earthenware with three-color (sancai) glaze

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Stanley Herzman, in memory of Adele Herzman, 1991