3rd-century white jade cup testimony to trade on the Silk Road

A white jade cup, dating back to the Wei Dynasty (220-265) during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), has a translucent texture. Carved out of luxurious Hotan “mutton fat” jade, it is a rare burial item to find from when simple funerary was advocated. Its smooth lines and lack of additional decoration result in an appealing natural beauty.

Different from the jade used for sacrificial rituals, the jade cup would have been a daily utensil. As Hotan jade is endemic to Xinjiang in the Western Region, it also provides testimony to the exchange of goods along the ancient Silk Road.

Excavated from a Wei Kingdom tomb in Luoyang, Henan province, in 1956, the 13-centimeter-high jade cup is now in the permanent collection of the Luoyang Museum.