The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 6, 2024

Stem Cup

Stem Cup

early 700s
(618-907)
silver with gilt interior and incised and chased decoration
Overall: 9 cm (3 9/16 in.)
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1951.396
Location: 239 Chinese Ceramics and Metalwork

Description

This stem cup is a supreme example of secular silver. During the Tang Dynasty (618–907), vessels like this were used to serve both tea and wine, the beverages enjoyed by the elite. It also demonstrates the effects of east-west exchanges along the Silk Road: the stem cup was a popular shape in Sasanian Iran.
  • ?–1951
    (Howard Hollis and Co., Cleveland, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1951–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 834 archive.org
    Ono Katsutoshi, ed. Seikai Bijutsu Zenshu [世界美術全集 = Art of the World]. vol. 15, part 4, The Sui and Tang Dynasties 隋. 唐. Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten, 1961 Reproduced: p. 191, no. 95
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 252 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 252 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 332 archive.org
    Wilson, J. Keith. "The Fine Art of Drinking: The Chinese Silversmith Zhu Bishan and His Sculptural Cups." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 81, no. 10 (1994): 380-401. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 386 www.jstor.org
    Christman, Bruce. "Three Gilded Tibetan Vessels." In Gilded Metals: History, Technology and Conservation. Terry Drayman Weisser, editor. London, England: Archetype Publications in association with the American Institute of Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, 2000. Mentioned and Reproduced: fig. 10.14, p. 181
  • All That Glitters: Great Silver Vessels in Cleveland's Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 23, 1994-January 8, 1995).
  • {{cite web|title=Stem Cup|url=false|author=|year=early 700s|access-date=06 December 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1951.396