A deep pottery bowl with horizontal grooves, Dawenkou to Longshan culture, c. 4300-2000 BC 大汶口至龍山文化 弦紋陶盌

Ronald W. Longsdorf, The Pottery Age: An Appreciation of Neolithic Ceramics from China, Circa 7000 BC - Circa 1000 BC, Hong Kong, 2020, pl. 41.

Ronald W. Longsdorf，《陶誌：中國新石器時代陶器 約西元前7000年 – 前1000年》，香港，2020年，圖版41

It is rare to find pottery bowls from the Neolithic period marked with multiple parallel grooves such as those seen on the current example. The development of the high-speed wheel is said to have reached its pinnacle during the Longshan culture and it is likely in parallel with this technological advancement that the potter created this deep bowl. Considering the even spacing of the grooves, a comb-like tool was likely used to cut into the soft clay before firing and this would have required the potter's utmost precision and control to ensure consistency in the spacing of the grooves as well as the thickness of the clay.

A similarly decorated but larger bowl from the same collection is included in Ronald W. Longsdorf, op.cit., pl. 40, and sold in these rooms, 25th November 2022, lot 822.