Nanjing Wu Tomb: Vessel with Seated Buddhas

CHINA, Jiangsu, Nanjing; Eastern Wu Kingdom (222–280)

This vessel was excavated from a grave in Nanjing in 1983. It dates to the end of the Eastern Wu Kingdom (222–280), making it the earliest example of underglaze-decorated earthenware in China.
The vessel has a flat base, round body, thick neck, and a lid. It is 32.1 cm high with a diameter of 31.2 cm at its widest point. The base has a diameter of 13.6 cm, while the mouth measures 12.6 cm wide. The body of the vessel is decorated with a range of images, including clouds, immortal “feather men” holding a staff, and mythical creatures. Two Buddha figures, two small handles, and four indistinct images, appear around the top of the body. Each Buddha has a round nimbus and a high usnisa, but the faces are blurred. They wear robes covering both shoulders as they sit in full lotus position on lotus thrones and perform the dhyana (meditation) mudra. Two small lion Dharma protectors are on either side of the Buddhas. The neck is thick and is decorated with abstract images, and the knob on the lid is in the shape of a mythical bird.
The imagery on the vessel is an interesting combination of the traditional mythology and the new Buddhism, which was being propagated in China at that time.