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Which foreign shapes and decorative motifs influenced Tang dynasty pottery?

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Neolithic Banshan pottery: funerary urn — Chinese pottery Painted Pottery funerary urn, Neolithic Banshan phase, c. 3000 bce, from Yangshao, Henan province, China; in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm. Height 13.2 inches (33.5 cm).

During the Tang dynasty, Chinese potters actively incorporated influences from western Asia, adopting foreign styles with greater frequency than their predecessors.1

Foreign Shapes

Potters borrowed various vessel forms from western Asian metalwork and glassware, including:
* Amphorae1
* Bird-headed ewers1
* Rhytons (conical drinking vessels)1

Decorative Motifs

The integration of foreign motifs was applied with characteristic Tang confidence, often blending these external influences with local artistic traditions. Notable motifs included:
* Hunting reliefs1
* Floral medallions1
* Boys with garlands or swags of vines1
* Buddhist symbols1

These adaptations reflect the cosmopolitan nature of the Tang period, during which Chinese artisans freely adapted aesthetic elements from across the Silk Road to enhance their own ceramic production.1