A painted pottery pot with wolf-shaped lines was unearthed in Linzhao, Gansu a few days ago. It was determined that pot dated back 2,800 years and belonged to the Xindian culture. According to the experts, the wolf-shaped drawings on the pottery pot was a rarity among painted potteries and its freehand technique proved a theory that painted pottery patterns were the origins of Chinese freehand paintings.

The painted pottery pot is 16 centimeters high and 14 centimeters in diameter. It was made from sand and clay. The pot has two symmetrical ears, a flat belly and a curved base. The pot mouth is decorated with broad strokes and its neck with branches and leaves as well as a horizontal line that looks like a tree trunk. On the trunk stands an animal closely resembling a wolf.

Experts pointed out that the wolf-shaped lines on the pottery pot are different from ordinary pottery drawings in that they deviated from the symmetry principle and the strokes were simple and freewheeling. The vivid presentation is typical freehand painting technique.

(Chinanews.cn January 13, 2005)