Colored pottery - Saito

The name given to painted pottery in China. It is considered to be a relic that characterizes the Yangshao culture of the Neolithic period. Its form and age include a variety of regional characteristics, but it is found mainly in the Yangshao culture of the midstream of the Yellow River, and is distributed from Gansu and Qinghai (Gansu Yangshao culture) in the west to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River (Qinglengang culture) in the east, and similar pottery has also been excavated in northeastern China and the southeastern coastal region. Painted pottery is generally made using fine clay by the rolling method, and a potter's wheel is not used. The surface is polished smoothly with a spatula. In the midstream of the Yellow River, the vessels are often bowls and bowls, while in the Gansu Yangshao culture, they are often jars. The vessel body is reddish in color because it is fired with an oxidizing flame. Painted designs are usually painted before firing, but before that, slips of red, white, or pale yellow are often applied to the base. The colors are generally monochromatic red or black using mineral pigments, but multicolored examples can be seen in painted pottery from the Qingliangang culture and the late Yangshao culture in the east. Painted designs are also spiritual products that reflect the mental world of the people at that time, and the Banpo type of the early Yangshao culture is characterized by specific animal motifs such as human faces and fish, and geometric motifs such as triangles and nets, while the Miaodigou type, which is slightly later, has animal motifs such as birds and frogs, and geometric motifs with curved, flowing compositions. There are variations in the designs depending on the type and region. Furthermore, many of the painted pottery currently in museums around the world are from the Yangshao culture of Gansu, and are characterized by elegant spiral patterns. Regarding the origin of painted pottery, recent archaeological findings have opened up the possibility of reconsidering the conventionally held theory that it originated in West Asia, and instead the theory that it originated in China has become more popular.

[Kiyotaka Nishie]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国における彩文土器の呼称。新石器時代の仰韶(ぎょうしょう)文化期を特徴づける遺物とされる。その形態と年代とに多様な地域色を含みながら、黄河中流地方の仰韶文化を中心として、西は甘粛(かんしゅく)・青海（甘粛仰韶文化）から東は揚子江(ようすこう)下流地方（青蓮崗(せいれんこう)文化）に分布し、さらにこれに類する土器は中国東北地区や東南海岸地区でも出土する。彩陶は一般に、精良な粘土を用いて巻き上げ法でつくられ、ろくろは使用されていない。表面は滑らかにへら磨きされる。器形は、黄河中流地方では鉢、碗(わん)の類、甘粛仰韶文化では壺(つぼ)の類が多い。酸化炎で焼かれるため器胎は紅色系を呈する。彩文は普通、焼成前に描かれるが、それに先だち、地肌に赤、白、淡黄色などのスリップ（化粧土）をかける場合が多い。彩色は、鉱物質の顔料を用いた赤または黒の単色が一般的であるが、東方の青蓮崗文化や仰韶文化晩期の彩陶では多色の例もみられる。彩色された図柄は、当時の人々の心象世界を映す精神的な所産でもあるが、仰韶文化早期の半坡(はんぱ)類型のそれは、人面、魚などの特定の動物文と、三角形文、網文などの幾何学文が特徴的であり、やや時期の下がる廟底溝(びょうていこう)類型では、動物文に鳥と蛙(かえる)があり、幾何学文は曲線的に流れるような構成をもつといった、類型ないし地域による図柄の変化がみられる。また現在、世界各地の博物館に所蔵されている彩陶には甘粛仰韶文化のものが多く、それらは流麗な渦文(かもん)に特色をみせる。彩陶の起源については、近年の考古学的成果により、従来一般に主張されてきた西アジア起源説に再考の余地が生じており、かわって中国自生説が有力となっている。

［西江清高］

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