Large Funerary Jar with Supernatural Beings

This painted jar is typical of pottery vessels found at Machang sites, the latest phase of Majiayao culture in lower Gansu province, a region occupied by many ethnic groups during the Neolithic period. The black and red zigzag lines, which comprise the mysterious motifs in Majiayao pottery, resemble the four limbs of a headless animal. On vessels of an earlier version, a painted circle, though faceless, represents the head of the four limbs. In this example, the circle is integrated with the vessel rim, as shown from the top in the inserted photo. It has been suggested that these motifs represent the images of supernatural beings.