Bonsai pot precursors at the Shanghai Museum

My previous post mentiones Shanghai Museum. This remarkable museum strikes a balance. It’s not too big and not too small. It has things that captivate a child and an adult, a scholar and a layperson. It is not too academic and not too touristy, just perfect. My only “disappointment” was that their marvellous ceramic collection did not feature a single bonsai pot. However, they certainly had pieces that resemble them. Images above and below show ceramic containers which date back to Song, Tang and even Han Dynasties. Yes, these pots are one to two millennia old. Bonsai or penjing did not truly exist in those days, yet we find these ceramics that closely resemble containers used today for growing dwarf trees.