Lofty and Elegant Individuality: The Beauty of Gaya Pottery 2

Now let’s turn around and see what is displayed on the wall. There is an earthenware figurine shaped like a duck. This is a typical example of a particular type of Gaya earthenware, and each piece was sculpted to resemble people, animals or objects.

Look at the duck figurine at the end on your left. Can you see the holes in its back and tail? The holes enabled liquid to be poured in and out of the figurine, which suggests that the piece was used as a kettle. These earthenware figurines were generally filled with either water or alcohol for use during ancestral rituals, or as funerary goods to be buried in tombs.

The figurines of certain animals and objects had special meanings. Ducks, for example, symbolized people’s hope that the spirit of the dead would fly as well as a bird to heaven. The cart and vessel figurines that you saw downstairs symbolize the successful delivery of the spirit to heaven.

Now let’s look at the kernelled cup in the middle. This cup is fitted with a stone or clay bead inside its hollow body, which makes a sound like a bell if the cup is shaken when completely empty. Commanders used to drink alcohol from the kernelled cups to raise their morale. Blood was also drunk from such cups when pledging allegiance.