Painted Jar

Decorated pottery vessel with a buff background and red painted decoration that is a little faded. Flat based, shouldered with slight neck and rim. Large shoulder and rim sherd mended. The decoration is a varied pattern including ships, trees, standards and ostriches. When fired, the surface of the vessel would become a suitably light-coloured background for the decoration which was applied before firing with a wash containing iron oxides which fired reddish-brown.