Tall footed cups appear to have been popular during the Mongol period and are often illustrated in scrolls and miniature paintings. The Chinese gold cup, which was excavated in Inner Mongolia, and the Iranian brass cup are comparable in proportions and decoration, with the lotus flower enclosed in medallions being a common motif. The nine-sided vessel has been associated with a type of lidded bowl called a ghulladan that was used as a money vessel for pious purposes in Islamic Ilkhanid Iran.

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