Neolithic Ceramics

The Neolithic Yangshao culture of Northwestern China is known for its painted pottery products.  The pots are generally made of a reddish or brownish fine-grained clay.  Vessels were probably made by coiling rolls of clay into the desired form; the potter’s wheel does not seem to have been used in this culture.  There is evidence, however, that the pots were then finished on a slowly revolving disk where the surface was scraped and smoothed with water.  Unlike coil-built pots, this bowl was made with one large slab that was bent into the desired shape and joined at the edges.  Its shape is very unusual for a Yangshao pot, but it does possess the characteristic surface decoration of a black painted geometric pattern.

The Neolithic Longshan culture is characterized by its thin black pottery.  By this time, use of the fast-moving potter’s wheel was widespread, resulting in an improvement of quality as vessel shapes became more uniform and the thickness of the pots’ walls became more even.  The black earthenwares of this time were made of fine-grained clay on a wheel and trimmed to extreme thinness, creating delicate pieces that were probably used for ritual rather than for everyday use.  The Northeastern Longshan culture placed emphasis on elegant form rather than on surface decoration, and pots were not generally painted.  The surface of the pot was often burnished with a pebble to a high luster before firing.  The pottery was reduction fired in a kiln; smoke entered the chamber during firing to reduce the amount of oxygen.  This affected the iron in the clay, giving the body a dark gray or black color.