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Silver Jar with Loop Handle and Gilt Parrot Pattern; Medicine Container
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This silver jar, excavated from the Hejiacun Hoard, is a container for storing medicinal materials. The lid can be tightly closed by rotating, and 10 ink characters were found on the inner side of the lid, telling the weight of the stored mineral medicines as “fifty taels of fluoritum and twelve taels of white quartz” for alchemy. Tang people believed that gold and silver containers could enhance the effect of the medicine. The silver jar is adorned with the gilt pattern of a parrot wrapped up by curly twigs and flowers. In the Tang Dynasty, parrots were known as “magic birds” due to their colorful feathers and ability to mimic human speech. Local officials and neighboring nations might have paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty with parrots. This jar embodies the rich artistic imagination of Tang craftsmen. The combination of the elegant shape, the sophisticated decorations, and the luxurious gilding technique showcases the Tang people’s pursuit of beauty and refinement in life.
Era:
Tang Dynasty (618-907)
Provenance:
Hejiacun Hoard in the Southern Suburb of Xi’an in 1970
Size:
Height 24.2cm; Mouth Diameter 12.4cm; Bottom Diameter 14.3cm; Weight 1.879 kg
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