Gilt silver bowl and cover

Tang period, late 8th - early 9th century

This 'parcel-gilt' - i.e. partly gilded - silver bowl and cover displays exquisite chased workmanship depicting lotus, pomegranate and other plants.  It is one of only 8 such bowls known to exist with a cover and the only one now outside a museum.  All were apparently unearthed in Eastern Mongolia in 1930.  This example formerly belonged to the famous Swedish collector Carl Kempe.