Provincial Water Barrel

The beautifully aged surface of this provincial water barrel is a testament to time and use. The barrel's finely joined wooden slats are held together by hand-smithed iron bands and cloaked in a layer of lacquer with a crackled finish. Chinese characters painted on the barrel's front date its use to June of 1963 by the "Northern Treasure Commune." An attempt to organize China's smaller, rural communities, the commune system implemented during the late-1950s established collectivized agriculture on a regional scale. This barrel would have likely been used by members of the commune to collect rain water for daily use, or by a farming brigade for agricultural irrigation. The beauty of the barrel lives on through its functional simplicity, a timeless form that has inspired many modern aesthetic movements.