A RARE CHINESE SILVER 'GAME' STEM CUP

Tang Dynasty

With a flared cup decorated with two rows of repoussé petals chased in relief with running deer and wild boars and flying birds reserved on a fine ring-punched ground, all supported on a knopped and flared foot divided into lobes, each with foliate motifs,

7.1cm diameter, 96g.

唐 銀鏨鳥獸紋蓮瓣高足盃

Note: During the Tang Dynasty (618-907) growing economic stability encouraged the development of long-distance trade, with the Silk Road playing a pivotal role as a conveyer of raw materials and new technologies and manufacturing techniques. During this period, pottery, bronze and iron wares were widely available to the general population, whereas silver and gold objects were reserved for the elites, who desired these wares as signifiers of a higher social status. This era saw an increased sophistication of metalworking techniques during the Tang era, arguably reaching a peak, with silver artifacts such as this stem cup forging technical-proficiency with artistic innovation.

c.f. Compare a similar lobed cup offered at Christie’s New York, Masterpieces of Early Chinese Gold and Silver, 12^th September 2019, lot 558, and another offered at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, Important Chinese Art including Imperial Jades from the De An Tang Collection, 13^th October 2021, lot 3679.

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