As Adam Kessler has noted, ceramics were included as part of the annual tribute offered by the Song dynasty to the Khitan, so it is not surprising that ceramics consistent with the preferences of the Song are found in sizable quantities in Khitan tombs.¹  But other forms are also present, some clearly made in shapes more familiar to the Khitan. So-called "cockscomb vessels," a literal translation of the Chinese "jiguanhu," are created in the shape of leather bags that served as canteens. They included knotted strings that served as buttons and holds for the leather bags to be tied to a saddle, and the oldest examples of these vessels retain these features, now purely decorative. These ceramic versions, probably made by Chinese craftsmen, also retained this traditional shape, though the low-fire methods resulted in a body too fragile to use when riding. This particular example is made of a rust-red clay, and is covered with a light green glaze.²

(1) Adam T. Kessler, Empires Beyond the Great Wall: The Heritage of Genghis Khan (Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 1993), pp. 98-99.

(2) Ibid, p. 99.