A WHITE-GLAZED CUP Tang Dynasty Produced after a metal form, of rounded form, with a short gently flared rim, applied with a loop handle, covered in an ivory hued glaze falling short of the foot to reveal the white clay body, box. 6.3cm (2 1/2in) high. (2). Footnotes: 唐 白釉盃 Provenance: Acquired March 2007 (collector's notes). The Silk Road connected Tang Dynasty China with the Sasanian Empire in the 7th century, with traders and craftspeople travelling frequently between regions, transmitting ideas and techniques. The shape of the cups in the present lot may have therefore been inspired by similar metal forms made by Central Asian silversmiths. See a silver cup with flaring body and loop handle, Tang Dynasty, in the V & A Museum, M.32-1935. Ceramic versions would have been created in conjunction with metal wares as the fashionable design spread across all levels of society. Compare with a ceramic rounded cup, 8th century, in the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, acc.no.F1984.8a-c, and another without foliate base to the ring handle, Tang Dynasty, at the Ashmolean Museum, acc.no.EA1956.1145. Lot to be sold without reserve. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing