【马家窑文化彩陶蛙纹壶】 

　　彩陶蛙纹壶，新石器时代马家窑文化马厂类型，高42厘米，口径13.1厘米。

　　壶泥质红陶，口外侈，薄唇，球形腹，小平底，腹部两侧对称置双系。于橙红色陶衣上以黑彩描绘变形蛙纹。图案线条流畅，富于变化，与造型协调一致。据科学测试，马家窑文化马厂类型彩陶的年代约为公元前2200～前2000年。

　　变形蛙纹作为马家窑文化马厂类型彩陶上常见的装饰纹样之一，体现了远古人们对于繁衍生殖的渴望。青蛙产下许多卵，孵出许多蝌蚪，正是繁衍旺盛的象征。

The Evolution of Ceramics——Painted Pottery Pot with Frog Designs of the Majiayao Culture

Painted Pottery Pot with Frog Designs of the Majiayao Culture

Painted pottery pot with frog designs is a Machang Type Pottery of the Majiayao Culture in the Neolithic Age, 42 cm in height and 13.1 cm in diameter.

The red pottery pot has a flared mouth, a thin rim, a spherical belly, and a small flat foot, with double symmetrical rings on either side of the belly. The frog motif is painted in black on an orange-red pottery coating of smooth and varied pattern lines, and in harmony with the shape of the pot. According to scientific tests, the Machang Type Pottery of the Majiayao Culture dates from about 2200 to 2000 B.C.

As one of the common decorative motifs on the Machang Type Pottery of the Majiayao Culture, the variegated frog designs reflect the ancient people's desire for reproduction. The frog lays many frogspawns and hatches many tadpoles, which is a symbol of the prosperity of reproduction.