Handle in the Form of an Animal Head

Arts of Asia

c. 1000–300 B.C.

Japan

Only a handful of animals are represented in Jômon art. This piece is in the shape of the head of an animal; it looks like a horse from one side and a sheep from the other. The walls of the indentations are carefully modeled, not simply pressed into the clay with a stick. Judging by the curved back surface, it seems likely that this head came off of a vessel and was perhaps a handle that sat on the rim (with the curved surface at the back forming part of the interior wall of a jar).

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Asia

Title: Handle in the Form of an Animal Head
Place: Japan (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1000 BCE–300 BCE
Medium: Earthenware
Dimensions: H.: 12 cm (5 in.)
Credit Line: Purchased with Funds Provided by the Weston Foundation; President's Exhibition and Acquisition Fund
Reference Number: 2010.294
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/200699/manifest.json

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.