Public Domain

Large Amphora with Dragon-Head Handles

7th century

Scroll

7th century

Physical Qualities Stoneware with straw-colored glaze over white slip, 22 3/8 H x 10 1/4 Diam. in. (56.8 x 26 cm.)

Credit Line Julius Levy Memorial Fund

Object Number 1994.249

With Chinese dragon heads on its handles and a shape that echoes a two-handled Greek wine jar, this vessel reflects centuries of exchange between China and the Mediterranean world. Alexander the Great’s campaigns in Asia in 330–325 BCE extended as far east as Gandhara in present-day eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan. Chinese westward exploration during the 2nd century BCE established ties to settlements in central Asia. These cities, states, and oasis settlements formed the first Silk Road, a trade route across the Eurasian continent.

The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 1994; Christie's, New York; Arthur M. Sackler Collection, by 1978

"3500 Years of Chinese Ceramics from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections," Tel Aviv Museum, Israel, July 9-October 31, 1978.
"The Arthur M. Sackler Collections," Christiess, New York, 12/1/1994, lot 146.
Frances Klapthor, BMA, "Asian Art at The Baltimore Museum of Art, Accessions, 1960-2000, Ways to Wealth," November 2005-July 2006.
Frances Klapthor, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Chinese Mortuary Ceramics from the Collection," December 2008-December 2009.