Artifact Identification
A number of Chinese and Japanese artifacts that may be found on nineteenth- and twentieth-century archaeological sites in North America. Scales vary.
For more information and examples, including artifact names as used by the Asian American Comparative Collection, you may order the following two pamphlets:
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Additional digital images and descriptions of Chinese artifacts can be found in the , hosted by Southern Oregon University. Information on historical Japanese ceramics can be found in the , created by the AACC, the Burke Museum, and graduate student Renae Campbell.
Artifacts depicted on this page are all from the Asian American Comparative Collection except where noted. If you wish to use these images for noncommercial or educational purposes, please indicate that the photo is courtesy of the Asian American Comparative Collection, 果冻传媒麻豆社, Moscow, and include any relevant catalog numbers.
Chinese Artifacts
Food, Liquor, and Food Storage Artifacts
Liquor bottle, Chinese brown-glazed stoneware. Catalog number AACC-2004-288.
Spouted jar, Chinese brown-glazed stoneware. Catalog number CCC-82-10.
Wide-mouthed jar, Chinese brown-glazed stoneware, and lid, unglazed stoneware. Catalog number AACC-94-28.
Straight-sided jars and lids, Chinese brown-glazed and green-glazed stoneware. Catalog numbers AACC-2008-078, ACC-91-24, and ACC-91-23.
Pans, Chinese brown-glazed stoneware. Catalog numbers ACC-85-53 and ACC-85-54.
Globular jar, Chinese brown-glazed stoneware. Catalog number AACC-96-50.
Barrel jar and lid, Chinese brown-glazed stoneware. Catalog number AACC-97-7.
Ginger jars and lid, stoneware with various glazes. Catalog numbers CCC-83-3, WCC-38 [lid], AACC-2020-160, and AACC-97-38.
Ginger jars and lid, green-glazed stoneware. The left two are hexagonal. Catalog numbers AACC-95-9, CCC-84-75, CCC-83-45, and AACC-2020-183.
Barrel jar (top) and other green glazed stonewares. Catalog numbers AACC-2020-187, AACC-91-23, ACC-89-36, CCC-83-45, AACC-2020-183, and AACC-98-120.
"Bean cake" (preserved tofu) jar, colorless glass. Catalog number AACC-2004-192.
Tea can, metal. Catalog number CCC-84-102.
Oil can lid, exterior, metal. Very faint embossed Chinese characters appear to the right of the cap. Catalog number AACC-94-37.
Tablewares
Rice bowl, "Double Happiness" pattern, porcelain. Catalog number AACC-2009-11.
Rice bowls, "Bamboo" pattern, porcelaneous stoneware. Catalog numbers AACC-2009-59 and AACC-98-89.
Spoon, rice bowl, liquor cup, and teacup with 鈥淲inter Green鈥� glaze, porcelain. This glaze was formerly incorrectly identified as 鈥淐eladon.鈥� Catalog numbers ACC-86-35, AACC-98-112, LCC-11, and LCC-10.
Serving bowl and liquor cup, 鈥淔our Seasons Flowers鈥� pattern, porcelain. Catalog numbers CCC-82-16 and WCC-13.
Liquor warmer and lid, "Sweet Pea" pattern, porcelain. Catalog number AACC-2002-119.
Spoon, teacup, liquor cup, sauce server, and bowl lid, 鈥淎ttributes of the Eight Immortals鈥� pattern, porcelain. Catalog numbers AACC-2013-54, AACC-2020-159, LCC-8, AACC-2020-108, and CCC-83-50.
Tobacco- and Opium-Smoking Paraphernalia
Tobacco pipe bowls, metal. Catalog numbers ACC-90-56 and ACC-93-74.
Opium pipe bowls, ceramic. The incorrect term "damper" is sometimes used for these objects, but an opium pipe bowl is not a "damper." Catalog numbers WCC-64, WCC-57, ACC-90-55, and WCC-55.
Opium pipe bowl connector, metal. Catalog number CCC-84-106.
Opium pipe saddle, metal. Catalog number ACC-86-30b.
Wick support for an opium lamp, colorless glass. Catalog number AACC-2003-389.
Wick support and wick holder, repurposed opium can metal. Catalog number CCC-84-105.
Opium lamp bases, colorless and amethyst glass. Catalog numbers WCC-51 and ACC-86-61.
Opium cans and lid, possibly paktong, an alloy of zinc, copper, and nickel. Because these are made of metals other than tin, they should not be referred to as 鈥渙pium tins.鈥� Catalog numbers ACC-90-50, CCC-84-133, and ACC-93-67.
Medicine Bottles
Medicine bottles, aqua and colorless glass. The two bottles on left are often mistakenly called 鈥渙pium bottles.鈥� Catalog numbers WCC-48, WCC-46, AACC-2018-012, AACC-96-95, and CCC-82-18.
Games, Gambling Paraphernalia, and Coins
Lottery ticket, 鈥渟preading out cover,鈥� glass gaming pieces, dice, and a domino. Catalog numbers AACC-2004-185, CCC-84-104, and AACC-2017-076.
Coins, metal. Catalog Numbers ACC-85-43, ACC-85-39, and ACC-89-18.
Japanese Artifacts
Tablewares
Rice bowls (gohan chawan) with lids (futa), porcelain. Catalog numbers AACC-2017-061 and AACC-2021-027.
Dobin-style teapot with bamboo handle and lid, Aizu-Hongo ware with sometsuke (hand-painted cobalt) decoration, porcelain. Catalog number AACC-2018-01.
Teacups (yunomi), fukizumi stencil and transfer print (doban) decoration, porcelain. Catalog numbers ACC-88-10 and AACC-2015-48.
Soba-choko (sauce cups for noodles), katagami stencil and transferprint (doban) decoration, porcelain. Most modern examples have flat bases, rather than raised footrings. Catalog numbers AACC-2020-01 and AACC-2020-02.
Pickle dish (namasu-zara), katagami stencil decoration with Three Friends of Winter (Sho Chiku Bai) motif, porcelain. Catalog number ACC-88-5.
Plate (sara), seiji (greenware) with hand painted decoration, porcelain. Catalog number AACC-98-85.
Sake wares
Sake bottles (saka-bin), ceramic. Catalog numbers CCC-82-08 and AACC-94-82.
Tokkuri (vessels for heating and serving sake), overglaze enamel (iro-e) and katagami stencil decoration, porcelain. Catalog numbers AACC-2003-348 and AACC-94-34.
Sake cups, ceramic. Catalog numbers AACC-2003-302, ACC-92-07, AACC-2001-50, AACC-98-2, and AACC-2012-5.
Kitchen wares
Suribachi (grinding bowls) with combed interiors, stoneware. Catalog numbers AACC-2020-111 and ACC-93-10.
Export wares
Plate (sara), Red Picture Transfer ware (aka-e doban tensha), porcelain. This decorative pattern is often called 鈥淕eisha Girl鈥� by Western collectors, though the women depicted are not geisha. Catalog number AACC-99-304.
Plate (sara), Ho-o Bird pattern, porcelain. Called 鈥淧hoenix ware鈥� by Western collectors, this pattern features the mythical ho-o bird, not a phoenix . Catalog number AACC-2008-77.
Medicine Bottles and Coins
Medicine bottles; cobalt, amethyst, and aqua glass. Catalog numbers ACC-86-22, ACC-86-56, and ACC-86-23.
Coins, metal. Catalog numbers AACC-99-151 and ACC-93-203.
