商周筆記 vol.08 舊金山亞洲藝術博物館：商代白陶瓿形蓋罐 - Asian Art Museum, White Pottery Covered Jar with Lid in the Shape of ‘Bu’

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商代白陶瓿形蓋罐

Covered Jar with Lid (Pou/Bu)

商代晚期（約公元前1300—前1050年）

高20.0釐米，徑21.0釐米

炻器（高溫硬陶），印紋裝飾

產地：河南省

美國舊金山亞洲藝術博物館藏

The Avery Brundage Collection

Object number: B60P538

這件有蓋瓿形罐，是商代晚期中原地區高溫硬陶（白陶系統）極為罕見的實物遺存。器身以精煉白泥製成，經高溫窯燒，胎質堅硬細密，表面飾以印紋。器形扁圓鼓腹、短頸，配以合蓋，完全對應同時代青銅瓿的經典造型。館方特別指出：此類器物以精煉白泥高溫燒成，經過三千餘年幾乎總是以碎片狀態出土，本件與鄰近的高足杯一樣遍布修復痕跡，器形主要依靠最大殘片加以復原。

商代白陶是中國早期陶瓷史上極為特殊的一類器物。它以低鐵、高鋁的高嶺土（或瓷土類黏土）為主要原料，燒成後胎色純白或近白，質地細膩堅硬，燒成溫度約一千攝氏度或略高。與普通灰陶相比，白陶硬度更高，卻極為脆性，故存世完整或可復原者極少。李濟早在1957年《殷虛白陶發展之程序》中已指出，殷墟白陶的化學成分與高嶺土極為接近；岳占偉等近年通過岩相學與原料調查進一步證實，其原料與太行山東麓的高嶺土高度吻合。

白陶並非商代獨創。史前時期大汶口文化與龍山文化已在海岱地區出現白陶鬶、盉等器。進入夏商，中原地區在海岱傳統影響下成為生產與使用中心。到殷墟時期（商代後期），白陶出現短暫而輝煌的復興，尤以殷墟文化一期最盛，多出於王陵區大墓與宮殿宗廟區較大型墓葬，居址中極少見。器形高度仿青銅禮器（瓿、罍、簋、豆、爵等），紋飾以雕刻或印戳的饕餮紋、夔紋、雲雷紋為主，明顯具有禮制與祭祀功能。學者普遍認為，白陶曾作為青銅禮器不足時的重要補充，地位甚至一度高於普通青銅器，與甲骨卜辭中商人重視白色動物（尤其白馬）的現象相呼應，體現「殷人尚白」的禮制傳統。

隨著青銅禮器種類與數量在殷墟二期以後急劇增加，白陶迅速減少，紋飾簡化，至殷墟後期逐漸消亡。其衰落既是技術與禮制系統變遷的結果，也與南方印紋硬陶、原始瓷的興起有關。雖然商代白陶與後來北朝至隋唐的北方白瓷並無直接技術傳承，但它證明中原先民很早就認識並使用高嶺土，為中國陶瓷「從陶到瓷」的漫長歷程埋下了重要遠源。

這件商代瓿形蓋罐不僅是高溫硬陶技術的稀有見證，更連結了中原核心地區的禮器傳統與後來春秋戰國時期（包括秦國）對中原器形與禮制的吸收、延續與轉化。從商代白陶的精緻與短暫輝煌，到西周青銅的成熟，再到邊地政權的再創造，形成一條清晰的物質文化譜系。

This covered jar of pou form is an extremely rare survival of high-fired stoneware (within the Shang white pottery tradition) from the late Shang period in the Central Plains. Made of refined white clay and fired at high temperature, the vessel has a hard, dense body decorated with stamped patterns. Its compressed globular body, short neck and fitted lid closely correspond to the classic bronze pou of the same era. The museum notes that vessels of this kind, produced from refined white clay in high-firing kilns, are almost always found in fragmentary condition after more than three thousand years; like the adjacent stemmed cup, this jar shows extensive repairs, with the overall shape largely reconstructed from the largest remaining fragments.

Shang white pottery (baitao) occupies a unique place in the early history of Chinese ceramics. It was made primarily from low-iron, high-alumina kaolin or porcelain-stone clays, producing a pure or near-white body after firing at approximately 1000°C or slightly higher. Compared with ordinary grey pottery it is harder, yet extremely brittle—hence the extreme rarity of intact or reconstructible examples. As early as 1957, Li Chi demonstrated in his study “Evolution of the White Pottery of the Yin Dynasty” that the chemical composition of Yinxu white pottery closely matches kaolin. More recent petrographic and raw-material investigations by Yue Zhanwei and colleagues have confirmed a strong correspondence with kaolin deposits along the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains.

White pottery was not invented in the Shang. It already appeared in the Dawenkou and Longshan cultures of the Haidai region in the form of gui and he vessels. During the Xia and Shang periods the Central Plains, under strong Haidai influence, became the main centre of production and use. In the late Shang (Yinxu period) white pottery experienced a brief but brilliant revival, especially in Yinxu phase I. Most examples come from large tombs in the royal cemetery and from substantial burials in the palace-temple area; they are rarely found in ordinary settlement contexts. Vessel forms closely imitate bronze ritual shapes (pou, lei, gui, dou, jue, etc.), while decoration—carved or stamped taotie, kui-dragon and cloud-and-thunder patterns—clearly signals ritual and sacrificial function. Scholars generally regard white pottery as an important supplement when bronze ritual vessels were still limited in range and quantity, at times even ranking above ordinary bronzes. This coincides with oracle-bone evidence of the Shang preoccupation with white animals (especially white horses), reflecting the ritual tradition of “the Shang people esteeming white.”

As the variety and quantity of bronze ritual vessels increased sharply from Yinxu phase II onward, white pottery declined rapidly, its decoration simplified, and it largely disappeared by the end of the period. Its demise resulted both from shifts in the ritual-vessel system and from the rise of stamped hard pottery and proto-porcelain in the south. Although Shang white pottery has no direct technical continuity with the northern white porcelain that emerged in the Northern Dynasties to Sui-Tang period, it demonstrates that Central Plains potters had already recognised and exploited kaolin at a very early date, laying an important foundation for the long journey “from pottery to porcelain.”

This late Shang pou-form covered jar is not only a rare witness to high-fired white-clay technology, but also a link between the ritual-vessel traditions of the Central Plains core and the later absorption, continuation and transformation of those forms and practices by polities of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (including the Qin state). From the refined yet brief brilliance of Shang white pottery, through the maturity of Western Zhou bronze, to the reinventions of peripheral regimes, a coherent material-cultural lineage emerges.

尋蹤｜三千年後的碎片與完整

商代晚期，中原地區的高溫硬陶已具備相當技術水平。精煉白泥、高溫燒成、印紋裝飾，使這類器物在硬度與質感上明顯區別於日常灰陶。然而，正因其燒成溫度高、胎體堅硬，長期埋藏後反而更容易因應力與環境變化而碎裂。存世完整或可復原的實例極為稀少。

本件藏於舊金山亞洲藝術博物館的有蓋瓿形罐（B60P538），即屬於此類罕見遺物。館方明確指出：經過三千餘年，此類器物幾乎總是以碎片狀態出土，本件與鄰近的高足杯皆經過大量修復，器形主要依靠最大殘片加以呈現。這種「修復後的完整」本身，已成為理解商代高溫硬陶存世狀況的重要視覺證據。

器形上，它與同時代青銅瓿形狀相似，也有點像觶，說明在商代晚期，陶瓷與青銅在禮器系統中存在並行發展的關係。陶瓷並非單純的「代用品」，而是以自身技術條件參與同一套禮制與審美語彙。河南省作為出土地域，正是商代政治與文化核心區，進一步強化了本件作為中原正統技術傳統代表的意義。

在SACA「春秋戰國」系列的長時段視野中，這件商代瓿形蓋罐可被視為更早的源頭。後來秦人在西垂地區所見的各種器形與禮制實踐，以及戰國時期各國對中原傳統的吸收，皆可在此找到技術與形制上的遠源。從商代高溫硬陶的稀有存世，到西周青銅的成熟，再到春秋戰國邊地政權的再創造，形成一條完整的物質文化譜系。

Tracing the Trail｜Fragments and Wholeness after Three Thousand Years

In the late Shang period, high-fired stoneware in the Central Plains had already reached a notable technical level. Refined white clay, high-temperature firing and stamped decoration set these vessels clearly apart from ordinary grey pottery in hardness and texture. Paradoxically, the very qualities that made them durable also rendered them vulnerable: after long burial, stress and environmental change often caused them to shatter. Intact or reconstructible examples are exceedingly rare.

The covered pou-form jar now in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (B60P538) belongs to this scarce group. The museum label notes that after more than three thousand years such vessels are almost always found in fragmentary condition. This jar, like the stemmed cup displayed beside it, shows extensive repairs; the overall shape is largely implied by the largest surviving fragments. This “reconstructed completeness” itself has become important visual evidence for understanding the survival of Shang high-fired ceramics.

In form the vessel corresponds closely to contemporary bronze pou, indicating that ceramics and bronzes developed in parallel within the Shang ritual system. Ceramics were not merely substitutes; they participated in the same ritual and aesthetic vocabulary through their own technical means. The reported origin in Henan province, the political and cultural heartland of the Shang, further reinforces its status as a representative of the orthodox Central Plains tradition.

Within the long chronological perspective of the SACA “Spring and Autumn–Warring States” series, this late Shang pou-form covered jar may be read as an earlier source. The vessel forms and ritual practices later encountered among the Qin in the western homeland, as well as the absorption of Central Plains traditions by various states during the Warring States period, find distant technical and formal roots here. From the rare survival of Shang high-fired stoneware, through the maturity of Western Zhou bronze, to the reinvention of these traditions by peripheral regimes in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a coherent material-cultural lineage emerges.

FAQ｜常見問題

Q1：這件器物為什麼如此罕見？

A：商代高溫硬陶雖然胎質堅硬，但經過三千餘年埋藏，幾乎都以碎片狀態出土。完整或可復原的實例極少，本件本身也經過大量修復。

Q2：它與青銅瓿是什麼關係？

A：器形高度一致，說明商代晚期陶瓷與青銅在禮器系統中並行發展。陶瓷並非簡單模仿，而是以自身技術參與同一套禮制語彙。

Q3：為什麼用「炻器」（stoneware）來描述？

A：它以精煉白泥高溫燒成，胎體堅硬，已超越普通低溫陶，接近後世炻器或原始瓷的技術特徵，故以stoneware標示。

Q4：目前收藏與展出情況如何？

A：藏於美國舊金山亞洲藝術博物館，屬Avery Brundage Collection（編號B60P538），目前在Gallery 14展出。

Q5：在SACA系列中如何定位這件商代器物？

A：它作為更早的源頭，連結商代中原高溫硬陶傳統與後來春秋戰國時期（包括秦國）對中原器形與禮制的吸收、延續與轉化，形成長時段的物質文化譜系。

Q6：修復痕跡有什麼學術價值？

A：修復痕跡直接說明此類器物的存世狀態，使觀者得以理解「三千年後的完整」其實是現代修復與殘片共同構成的結果，具有重要的視覺與歷史意義。

English FAQ

Q1: Why is this vessel so rare?

A: Although Shang high-fired stoneware has a hard body, after more than three thousand years of burial almost all examples are found in fragments. Intact or reconstructible pieces are extremely scarce; this jar itself shows extensive repairs.

Q2: What is its relationship to the bronze pou?

A: The form corresponds closely, indicating that ceramics and bronzes developed in parallel within the late Shang ritual system. Ceramics were not mere imitations but participated in the same ritual vocabulary through their own technical means.

Q3: Why is it described as “stoneware”?

A: It was made of refined white clay and fired at high temperatures, producing a hard body that surpasses ordinary low-fired pottery and approaches the technical character of later stoneware or proto-porcelain.

Q4: What is its current location and display status?

A: It is in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Avery Brundage Collection (B60P538), and is currently on view in Gallery 14.

Q5: How is this Shang vessel positioned within the SACA series?

A: It serves as an earlier source linking Shang Central Plains high-fired ceramic traditions with the later absorption, continuation and transformation of Central Plains vessel forms and ritual practices during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (including the Qin state), forming a long-term material-cultural lineage.

Q6: What is the scholarly value of the repairs?

A: The repairs directly illustrate the survival condition of such vessels, allowing viewers to understand that “completeness after three thousand years” is the joint product of modern restoration and surviving fragments, carrying important visual and historical significance.

高嶺土補充段落｜材質的現代定位

從今日礦物學與科技考古的視角來看，商代白陶所用的白色黏土，完全可以歸入「高嶺土」的範疇。學界對高嶺土的定義，並不繫於景德鎮高嶺村這一後起地名，而是以礦物組成為準：凡以高嶺石族礦物（以高嶺石為主）為主要成分、高鋁低鐵、燒成後能呈現白色或近白色的黏土或黏土岩，皆可稱為高嶺土。岳占偉等學者通過岩相學與掃描電鏡對比，已確認殷墟白陶的原料與太行山東麓的原生高嶺土高度吻合——主體礦物為高嶺石，非黏土礦物以石英與鹼長石為主。因此，商代先民所採用的，正是符合現代高嶺土定義的優質白色黏土；「高嶺土」一詞雖為後世命名，卻精準描述了其材質本質。這一認識，既釐清了商代白陶與後世瓷器原料之間的深層聯繫，也讓我們得以在長時段視野中，重新理解中原地區早期對高鋁白泥資源的認識與運用。

Kaolin Supplementary Note｜Modern Identification of the Material

From the perspective of modern mineralogy and archaeometric research, the white clay used for Shang dynasty white pottery falls squarely within the category of kaolin. Academic definitions of kaolin rest not on the later place-name of Gaoling village near Jingdezhen, but on mineral composition: any clay or clay rock whose principal constituents are minerals of the kaolinite group (chiefly kaolinite), characterised by high alumina and low iron content, and capable of firing to a white or near-white colour, may properly be termed kaolin. Petrographic and scanning-electron-microscope comparisons by Yue Zhanwei and colleagues have demonstrated a close correspondence between the fabric of Yinxu white pottery and primary kaolin from the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains—kaolinite as the dominant clay mineral, with quartz and alkali feldspar as the main non-clay components. The material exploited by Shang artisans was therefore a high-quality white clay that fully satisfies the modern definition of kaolin. Although the term itself is a later designation, it accurately describes the essential nature of the material. This recognition both clarifies the deep material affinity between Shang white pottery and later porcelain clays, and allows us, within a long chronological perspective, to reassess the early Central Plains understanding and utilisation of high-alumina white-clay resources.