Vintage Glazed Earthenware Jar From Yunnan

This tactile vintage glazed earthenware jar from Yunnan province is a beautifully understated example of traditional Chinese storage pottery. Robustly potted with a gently swelling body and short everted rim, the surface is decorated all over with repeating incised spiral motifs, creating a rhythmic, almost meditative pattern across the vessel. These concentric circles are deeply impressed into the clay and catch the glaze in subtle variations of tone and texture.

The jar is finished in a softly mottled glaze ranging from warm stone and ash tones to olive and earthy browns, with natural firing marks and kiln variations adding to its character. Two small lug handles at the shoulder indicate its original practical use, likely for storing grain, water, or fermented foods in a rural household setting. Pieces of this type were made for daily use rather than display, which gives them their honest form and enduring appeal.

Today, the jar works equally well as a decorative object, a floor vessel, or as a sculptural accent in both contemporary and more traditional interiors, valued for its surface, patina, and quietly graphic decoration.

• Origin: Yunnan Province, China
• Date: Vintage
• Materials: Earthenware With Glaze
• Features: Incised Spiral Decoration, Lug Handles, Mottled Natural Glaze
• Condition: Age-Related Wear, Surface Variations And Kiln Marks Consistent With Use
• Dimensions: W20 x D20 x H30 cm