The Barlow Collection
A select catalogue of the Barlow collection of Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades by the University of Sussex (published Sussex, 2006).
Publications online: 456 objects
Figure of a bird with a human head
- loan
-
Literature notes
The figure is modelled as a slender bird with a long tail, its legs drawn close to the body, its wings folded, the head with human features but a bird’s beak instead of a mouth, the hair tied up on top of the head or perhaps wearing a small rounded cap. The piece has a large air vent on the underside. The grey pottery is covered with a white dressing and with pink pigment at the head and neck, while the wings and tail were painted in black with details in bright red to indicate feathers. -
Details
- Associated place
- Date
-
7th - 8th century AD (AD 601 - 800)
Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 907)
- Material and technique
- earthenware, moulded and luted together, with incised decoration and traces of black, red, and white pigment
- Dimensions
- 8.9 x 16.6 x 5.5 cm (height x width x depth)
- Material index
- Technique index
- Object type index
- No. of items
- 1
- Credit line
- Lent by the Sir Alan Barlow Collection Trust.
- Accession no.
- LI1301.399
-
Further reading
University of Sussex, and Arts and Humanities Research Council, The Barlow Collection, supervised by Regina Krahl, Maurice Howard, and Aiden Leeves (Sussex: University of Sussex, 2006), no. S6
Glossary (2)
earthenware, luted
-
earthenware
Ceramic material made of clay which is fired to a temperature of c.1000-1200⁰c. The resulting ceramic is non-vitreous and varies in colour from dark red to yellow.
-
luted
The fusion of parts of ceramics using dilute clay slip.
Location
-
- currently in research collection
Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.
Publications online
-
The Barlow Collection
The figure is modelled as a slender bird with a long tail, its legs drawn close to the body, its wings folded, the head with human features but a bird’s beak instead of a mouth, the hair tied up on top of the head or perhaps wearing a small rounded cap. The piece has a large air vent on the underside. The grey pottery is covered with a white dressing and with pink pigment at the head and neck, while the wings and tail were painted in black with details in bright red to indicate feathers.
Notice
Object information may not accurately reflect the actual contents of the original publication, since our online objects contain current information held in our collections database. Click on 'buy this publication' to purchase printed versions of our online publications, where available, or contact the Jameel Study Centre to arrange access to books on our collections that are now out of print.
© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum