Cup

Title

Cup

Year/Period

13th or 14th century

Region

Golden Horde, Central Asia

Object Type

cups (drinking vessels)

Material

silver (metal)

Technique

gilding (technique), silversmithing

Dimension

Object size: 4 x 12.8 x 10 cm

Accession No.

2015-00060

Collection of

Asian Civilisations Museum

This shallow cup is a lightweight, easily carried drinking vessel for a person travelling extensively on horseback. The engraved and punched decoration is remarkably fine and shows Central Asian forms adapted to Islamic taste. The gilding, intricate patterns, and decorative edging of the handle suggest that it was made for a member of the elite.It is a product of the Golden Horde, a state of the Mongol Empire that was an important culture of the Silk Route through Central Asia. The Mongol Empire was mutli-religious and embraced Buddhism,, Daoism, Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. Thus the cup directly links China, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe in the 13th and 14th century.