Title
Square dish with slip decoration
Year/Period
Liao dynasty (907 - 1125)
Region
China
Object Type
Material
Dimension
Object size: 3.0 x 12.0 x 12.0 cm
Accession No.
2020-00455
Collection of
This square dish with a foliate rim is decorated with trails of slip. The cleverly executed symmetrical pattern at the centre looks like a four-petalled flower and entwined leaves at the same time. Such square dishes are an unusual form and associated with the Liao dynasty (907–1125) which was founded by the Khitans. The square form of this ceramic dish is thought to have been based on wooden prototypes originally used by the Khitans, while the thin walls highlight the influence of metalwork, a key aspect of steppe material culture which left its imprint on Liao ceramics.
