Silver stemcup with an incised and ring-punched design of archers chasing deer amid a landscape of trees and flowers, Tang dynasty (618-907). Height: 9.8 centimetres; Diameter: 7.7 centimetres (at lip). Bequeathed by Mrs Walter Sedgwick, 1968,0422.10 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum

Stemcups in gold, silver and gilded bronze were introduced to China from Central Asia and lands further west. They closely resemble the shapes of stemcups used in the Mediterranean area, although the decoration is typically Chinese.

Jade and bronze were traditionally prized by the Chinese as their most valued materials, whereas gold and silver were not so highly rated. However, gold and silver utensils were gradually introduced to China from Central Asia and lands further west. The idea of using these precious metals for religious objects and later secular use was particularly popular with the non-Chinese Buddhist rulers of north China during the period between the Han and Tang dynasties (220-618), and such usage gradually became widespread among the Chinese elite. 

Such hunting scenes were copied from Chinese paintings, lacquer designs and tomb murals. The mounted archer is also often found on Tang dynasty artefacts, such as woven and printed silks from Turfan in Central Asia.