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Rare gold drinking vessel from 2,500 years ago
Updated: Jul 25, 2023
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This oval-shaped wine cup (he in Chinese) dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and is crafted of pure gold. It has an oval shape, a bulging belly to which two jade rings with carved cloud patterns are symmetrically riveted, and a flat base.
When discovered in a tomb in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, it was held in a rectangular lacquer case and contained a small grey clay jar. It is the only gold wine cup from the pre-Qin period; others unearthed from the same period were all made of bronze. It is also a rare piece of gold ware of that era. The cup is currently in the permanent collection of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum.
