Cleveland Museum of Art

Beaker

Date

c. late 600s–early 700s

Medium

silver with gilding

Culture

Central Asia (Sogdiana) or Tibet

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The circular shapes of the cup’s handle feature a flat edge on which the user rested their thumb for better grip, a design characteristic of silver objects made during the 700s by Sogdian artists, who traveled from Central Asia along international trade routes. An ownership inscription in Tibetan script on the underside of the cup identifies the vessel as a personal possession. The circles and lines carved below this inscription are likely measurements recording the weight of the silver used for the cup. This cup depicts two lions and a lionlike animal with horns!

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.