Celadon Jar with Five Mouths

The jar with five mouths is shaped like a gourd bottle with three bulbs. The waist is decorated with bears, tortoises and lizards. This kind of vessel was made during the Eastern Han period, and largely unearthed from burials in the Yangtze delta region. The earlier shapes were simpler, while the later carry more decoration such as figures and animals. In the Western Jin period (265-317) this form evolved into the granary model, an important achievement in ancient art.