Made of rare white jade, this tiny inscribed cup speaks volumes about the past.
Cup with calligraphic inscriptions
Probably 1447–1449
Probably Uzbekistan; Samarqand
Timurid period (1370–1507)
Nephrite
The Avery Brundage Collection, B60J619
Small, beautiful, and rare — this tiny cup speaks volumes about the past. At just over one inch tall and less than two inches in diameter, this cup from Central Asia offers a glimpse into how ideas about personal identity, family history, power, and prestige were conveyed through exquisite art objects. Made of white jade — rarer than green jade — the cup features the written word as its main decoration. It boasts royal inscriptions made nearly two centuries apart, one citing a Timurid ruler and the other a Mughal emperor in India.
