**First Time At Auction**

East Asia, China, Han Dynasty, ca. 206 BCE to 220 CE. An attractive pottery ear or winged cup (known as "erbei") used for wine or ale drinking adorned with ornate relief decoration and enveloped in a copper-green lead-silicate glaze. Presenting a traditional ovoid form, the flat-bottomed cup has gently expanding walls which taper towards the top and create the thin rim from which a pair of semicircular "ear" handles project. An undulating pattern embellishes the exterior walls of the vessel, while a zigzag motif encircles the rim and faint remains of an inscription can be seen on the base. Ear cups were typically made of lacquer, indicating that this earthenware example was likely made for burial rather than daily use. Note the scattered areas of iridescence that nicely complement the glaze's mottled hues of celadon, olivine, and forest green! Size: 5" L x 5.5" W x 2.4" H (12.7 cm x 14 cm x 6.1 cm)

Similar Han Dynasty ear cups can be found at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art under accession number S1992.80 and at the University of Michigan Museum of Art under accession number 1990/1.262.

Provenance: private Vero Beach, Florida, USA collection, acquired before 2003

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#178138

Small chip to rim and expected nicks and abrasions to surface as shown, but otherwise intact and in excellent condition with nice, mottled hues and iridescence to glaze. Old collection label on base.