The shape of this nicely balanced stem cup illustrates the fondness for foreign metalworking that characterizes Tang China. Prior to this period bronze, jade, and lacquer were the most highly prized materials, and silver and gold were used only sporadically, primarily for inlay. Close ties between China, Persia, and the regions of northwest India in the fifth and sixth centuries led to the introduction of vessels made of gold and silver, some of which were included in burials as marks of the privileged status of the deceased. By the late seventh century Chinese craftsmen had mastered the repertory of shapes, designs, and techniques prized in the West and adapted them to native conventions. Cast in bronze, this cup was mercury gilded and embellished with punched and traced motifs. While the shape derives from Western tradition, the delicate ring matting that fills the background and the lyrical composite floral scroll in the foreground are typically Chinese in their grace and liveliness.