Wine cup
Unknown Artist
Medium
Nephrite
Dimensions
H. 1 13/16 in. (4.6 cm); W. 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm); L. 3 7/8 in. (9.9 cm)
Classification
Jade
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Heber R. Bishop, 1902
Accession Number
02.18.401
Art Historical Context
This delicate nephrite wine cup,ailing from China's Ming dynasty (13681644), exemplifies the's mastery of jade carving. Crafted from nephrite—a tough, translucent stone revered in Chinese culture for its luminous quality and symbolic associations with purity, immortality, and imperial virtue—the cup measures a modest 1 13/16 inches high, 4 1/8 inches wide, and 3 7/8 inches long. petite size suggests it was designed for intimate elite gatherings, where wine was savored during scholarly banquets or rituals. During the Ming period, jade objects like this reached new heights of refinement, as art...