Cup in the shape of a magnolia blossom
The rhinoceros was once widespread in China, but by the first century A.D. it had become an exotic species whose skin was sought after to make armor and whose horns were carved into drinking cups. During the Tang dynasty (618–907), rhinoceros horns were imported into China along with other foreign goods, such as pearls, sandalwood, and camphor. Elaborate rhinoceros-horn cups for drinking wine and other libations were produced widely from the sixteenth century onward.
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