Wine Cup, 12th-13th century, 2 1/4 x 6 1/2 in. ( x cm), White nephrite with yellow-brown markings, China, 12th-13th century, This rhyton, carved in the shape of a rhinoceros-horn cup, is decorated with dragons in both low and high relief. Rhino horn, like jade itself, was expensive and exotic. It became popular material for decorative carving as early as the Sung dynasty (11th-12th century) and remained so through the nineteenth century. This vessel reflects the antiquarian taste that developed among the scholar classes at the Sung court and continued through Yuan (14th century)

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Size: 5558px × 3640px
Location:
Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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