coin, unknown maker from China

This pilgrimage flask and bronze coin encapsulate the circuits of exchange that facilitated the spread of Buddhism across Asia. The tradition of carrying small ceramic flasks with an image or contents of devotion first developed in the Mediterranean world, where it was used by both Romans and early Christians. As the practice spread to Persia (present-day Iran), Central Asian merchants brought metal prototypes to China, where artisans translated the shapes, designs, and motifs into earthenware.

Vessels like this one were known as bianhu or flattened flasks. This bianhu features a voluptuous dancing monkey holding a wine cup and ewer with a design from Sassanian culture (a pre-Islamic Persian empire, 224 CE–651 CE). Made of soft white porcelain pinched into a mold and covered with a light translucent glaze, vessels such as this were popular funerary items, and expressed a fascination with the exotic that characterized this time period.