There are many single belly vase with double dragon uncovered from Sui-Tang tombs, but this double-bellied vase is a rarity and the oldest one to date. We need to look towards the Silk Road for its origin, like many of these pottery during the Sui-Tang dynasties.
National Treasure 国宝
White-Glazed Double-Bellied Vase With Double Dragon-Shaped Handles 白釉龙柄双联传瓶
Pottery | Sui Dynasty (580-618) | H: 18.5 cm, D (mouth): 2 cm, D (base): 2.5 cm, D (body): 11 cm | Tianjin Museum collection. 陶瓷 | 隋（公元580年-618年） | 高18.5厘米，口径5.2厘米，底径2.5厘米，腹径11厘米｜天津博物馆收藏。1
The Sui Dynasty (580-618) vase features a distinctive double-bellied (conjoined bodies or double-gourd) form and a single neck. This shape is a variation of the amphora, a form that was introduced to China from Hellenistic and Central Asian cultures brought in from the Silk Road during this cosmopolitan period. The handles are crafted in the shape of dragons, with their heads biting the rim of the vase’s mouth as if siphoning the contents of the wine vessel.2
The Silk Road existed long before the Tang Dynasty (618-907), fundamentally established by China’s Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) through the explorations of Zhang Qian, opening regular overland trade routes westward for silk, jade, and other goods, and connecting with Persian/Parthian empires and the Roman world, with subsequent eras (Wei, Jin, Northern/Southern Dynasties) maintaining and developing these arteries despite fragmentation, setting the stage for the Tang’s later golden age.
Stone Balustrade Panel from Anji Bridge 安济桥石栏板
Stone | Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD) | Unearthed at Anji Bridge site, Zhaoxian, Hebei Province, 1953 | National Museum of China Collection. 石｜隋（公元581年-618年）｜1953年河北赵县出土｜中国国家博物馆藏
The Sui Dynasty stone railing was obtained from the mud under the bridge when repairing the Anji Bridge in Zhao County, Hebei Province. This object is rectangular with dragons carved on both sides. On the front, the two dragons are covered with scales and armour, and their bodies are facing each other like drilling through the railing. Their heads are back to each other, and their front claws push each other. On the back, the two dragons galloped against each other, their bodies twisted, and their hind limbs supported the ground. The image of the dragons look similar to the ones on the vase.3
White porcelain 白瓷 was successfully fired during the Northern Dynasty (386-581). The white porcelain unearthed from Fan Cui’s tomb in the sixth year of Wuping of the Northern Qi Dynasty (575 AD) was the earliest white porcelain seen in China. At this time, the glaze of white porcelain is generally blue, indicating that it has not evolved completely from the shadow of celadon, and its glaze contains relatively high iron. After that, a lot of white porcelain was unearthed in the tombs of the Sui Dynasty, such as the tomb of Zhang Sheng in the 15th year of Emperor Kai of the Sui Dynasty (595) and the tomb of Ji Wei in the 6th year of Daye (610). These Sui artefacts have white porcelain glaze that is relatively uniform in colour and white, which is a true sense of white porcelain.4
There’s a similar double-dragon double-bellied vase excavated from the same period of about the same size, but this one is considered a National Treasure and prohibited to be exhibited overseas because of the inscriptions on the base of the vase. “此傳瓶，有並(有茲5)”, which is translated to “This (is) a chuan vase, with joint,” gives the name of the vase during that period, as wells the special technique used to create the vase.
The Chuan vase 傳瓶 is a funerary good (Mingqi 明器) popularly used by the nobility during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. In terms of shape, it originates from the local long neck vase 盘口瓶, and draws on the decorative characteristics of the double-handled amphora from the West. There is a certain grade specification in the use of funerary goods. In terms of decoration, the Tang Dynasty drew on a lot of Buddhist cultural themes, which was consistent with the burial customs of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.6
This kind of double dragon-handled vases and ewers appeared in large numbers in tombs of the Tang Dynasty, mainly concentrated in Luoyang and Xi’an. Judging from the physical objects seen so far, its materials include bronze, porcelain and sancai (tricolour porcelain), and sancai is most common.9 Except for burial, other uses of this kind of ewers are unknown. This kind of bottle style basically disappeared after the Tang Dynasty, but because of its classic style, there were old collections in the Qing Palace, and there were also imitations during Qing Yongzheng reign.
Photos taken at National Museum of China May 2022, Shenzhen Museum Oct 2025, and Tianjin Museum Oct 2025, unless otherwise indicated.
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
Footnotes :
- 胎体白中泛黄，白釉下施护胎釉，釉不到底。盘口，单颈，颈下端两侧各有一系，双腹相联，腹饰弦纹，双平底微内凹。肩左右两侧各塑一条修长的龙形柄，龙头探入瓶的盘口。底刻有铭文“此传瓶，有並”，意为此瓶成对或双腹相联。造型新颖别致，是隋代创新的器型。Museum information card, Oct 2024 ↩︎
- 天津博物馆馆藏文物隋白釉龙柄双联传瓶，为中国一级文物，列入第三批禁止出境展览文物。
瓶高18.5厘米，口径5.2厘米，底径2.5厘米，腹径11厘米。盘口，单颈，双腹相连，连接处有两个环形系。肩左右两侧各塑一条修长的龙形柄，龙头探入瓶口内，似在贪婪地吸吮着瓶中的玉液琼浆。双龙柄为手工捏塑而成，手法简单干练，形象却生动逼真。双平底刻有铭文：“此传瓶，有并。”由此得知，这个瓶子的名称应为传瓶。https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/隋白釉龙柄双联传瓶, accessed 27 Dec 2025 ↩︎ - Stone Balustrade Panel from Anji Bridge 安济桥石栏板
Stone | Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD) | Unearthed at Anji Bridge site, Zhaoxian, Hebei Province, 1953 | National Museum of China Collection. 石｜隋（公元581年-618年）｜1953年河北赵县出土｜中国国家博物馆藏
该栏板是修复安济桥时从桥下淤泥中所得。安济桥又名赵州桥，位于河北赵县。此物为安济桥栏板构件，长方形，两面雕龙。正面双龙周身鳞甲，身体相向似钻穿栏板，头相背，前爪互推。背面两龙相对而驰，身体绞缠，后肢撑地。修复安济桥时从河床挖出大小桥石1200余块，但拼接较为完整、有雕刻和铭记的石头不多。其中，各式雕龙栏板计7块，本栏板是其中之一。Museum information card, Oct 2024 ↩︎ - 白瓷于北朝时烧制成功，北齐武平六年（公元575年）范粹墓出土的白瓷，是中国所见的最早的白瓷。这时候的白瓷釉色普遍泛青，说明还没有脱离青瓷的影子，它的釉料中含铁量比较高。在此之后隋代墓葬中曾出土不少白瓷器，如隋开皇十五年（公元595年）张盛墓、大业六年（公元610年）姬威墓等，这批白瓷釉色较为匀净，白度较高，是真正意义上的白瓷。
https://baike.baidu.com/item/隋白釉龙柄双联传瓶/24132909, accessed 28 Dec 2025 ↩︎ - 天博“国宝”传瓶，“有并”还是“有兹”呢, 收藏杂志, 2019-12-18 15:38. 隋白釉龙柄双联传瓶器底的铭刻，由于字迹潦草，在释读上也有另解，其中一边为“此传瓶”，而一边可能为“有兹”，而非“有并”，合起来“此传瓶有兹”或“此传瓶有兹”的意义与“传瓶于兹”类似，大致是说，有了这个瓶子，就能够传承下去，如此释读，似比“有并”更为顺畅。https://m.sohu.com/a/361224821_161268, accessed 28 Dec 2025 ↩︎
- 杨君谊，“传瓶”初考，南方文物2017年 第1期。传瓶是流行于隋唐之际供于贵族所使用的明器，在形制上发源于本土的盘口瓶， 并借鉴西域双柄银壶的装饰特征。 在随葬明器的使用中具有一定的等级规范，在类型演变中，与本土工艺结合， 是隋代至唐代中期一类陶瓷明器类型。 在装饰上，唐代大量借鉴佛教文化题材，与隋唐时期的陪葬风俗相一致。 传瓶是一类专门用于贵族陪葬使用，具有文化表象作用的明器类型。http://dianda.cqvip.com/Qikan/Journal/Summary?kind=1&gch=82645X&y=2017&n=1&from=Qikan_Article_Detail， accessed 27 Dec 2025 ↩︎
- White-glazed Twin Vase with Dragon-Shaped Handle 白釉龙柄双联传瓶
Pottery | Sui Dynasty (580-618), 4th year of Daye Era (608AD) | H: 19 cm, D (mouth): 4.6 cm | Excavated from Tomb of Li Jingxun at Xi’an, Shaanxi Province (1957) | National Museum of China Collection. 陶瓷 | 隋（公元580年-618年）大业四年（公元608年） | 高19厘米，口径4.6厘米｜1957年出土于陕西西安李静训墓｜中国国家博物馆收藏。 ↩︎ - White Glazed Vase with Dragon Handles 白釉双龙柄瓶
Pottery | Tang Dynasty (618-907) | H: 44 cm, D (Widest Point): 22 cm, D (Bottom): 10 cm | Donated by a Japanese organization (2010) | Shenzhen Museum Collection. 陶器｜唐（618~907年）｜高44厘米、腹径22厘米、底径10厘米｜2010年日本某友好团体捐赠｜深圳博物馆藏
双龙瓶是始于北朝，流行于隋唐的独特瓶式，可能自隋代双龙耳连腹瓶演变而来。隋代有单龙柄凤首瓶、双龙柄双联瓶，唐代有三龙柄的异形瓶式。这种瓶的渊源有二，一是古希腊时期的安弗拉双耳瓶，大约出现在公元前七、八世纪；二是中国三国、晋以来的龙柄鸡首壶。希腊的双耳和中国的龙在隋唐时代结合变成了双龙柄瓶式。
这类双龙柄瓶较大量的出现在唐代墓葬中，主要集中在洛阳、西安。从目前所见实物看，其材质有铜质、瓷质、三彩，以三彩为多见。这类瓶除陪葬外，其他用途不详。这类瓶式在盛唐以后基本消失，但因其瓶式经典，故清宫中有旧藏，清雍正朝也有仿制。
Museum information card, Oct 2024 ↩︎ - 隋白釉龙柄双联传瓶这种器形是隋代新出现的，从南朝双柄单腹瓶变而来，造型华贵新颖，属贵族使用的上品，常在贵族大型墓葬中出土。陕西西安隋大业四年（608年）李静训墓曾出土类似的一件文物，但无铭文，故隋白釉龙柄双联传瓶的年代也应为隋代。 ↩︎
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