Vase
Unknown Artist
c. late 600s–early 700s
Medium
silver with gilded foil
Dimensions
h. 22.9 cm
Classification
Silver
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1988.67.1
About this artwork
Located amid the vast “silk roads” trade network, medieval Tibet was a place of dynamic cultural exchange. This decanter is evidence of such interactions. The vessel is part of the tableware used to hold wine during feasts. Tibetan elites adopted the tradition of consuming wine at social gatherings from their Iranian (Persian) contemporaries, whose wine banquets were lavish affairs with plentiful food and drink.