The Nanyue silver box (Ch: 南越裂瓣纹银器) is an ancient silver box with lobed decoration (裂瓣纹) discovered in Southern China in the tomb of Emperor Wen of Nanyue (who died in 124 BCE). The object is now located in the

Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King The Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum of the Nanyue King ( Cantonese: Sai Hon Nam Yuet Wong Mou Bok Mat Gun; Vietnamese: Tây Hán Nam Việt Vương Bác Vật Quán ) houses the 2,000-year-old tomb of the Nanyue King Zhao Mo in Guangzhou ...

. It is thought to reflect the influence of

Achaemenid art The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the larges ...

and

Persian art Persian art or Iranian art () has one of the richest art heritages in world history and has been strong in many media including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking and sculpture. At different times, influences ...

and Persian metalware on Chinese culture. This design especially flourished under the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian peoples, Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, i ...

. Many similar silver boxes have been excavated in Chinese archaeological site. Two similar boxes were excavated in 2004 in a tomb of the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

(475-221 BCE) in Xixin (西辛),

Qingzhou Qingzhou () Wade–Giles: Tsing-chou, sometimes written as Ching-chow-fu, formerly Yidu County (Yitu) (), is a county-level city, which is located in the west of the prefecture-level city of Weifang, in the central part of Shandong Province, Chin ...

. They were probably manufactured in Central China, rather than in Western Asia or

Nanyue Nanyue ( zh, c=南越 or 南粵, p=Nányuè, cy=, j=Naam4 Jyut6, l=Southern Yue, , ), was an ancient kingdom founded in 204 BC by the Chinese general Zhao Tuo, whose family (known in Vietnamese as the Triệu dynasty) continued to rule until ...

as initially thought, as they used Chinese casting technology rather than the cold-hammered technology generally used in Iran. The Nanyue Silver Box is considered as a case of luxurious artifact using a combination of foreign style, imported from West Asia and already influential in 3rd century BCE

Han China The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

, with Chinese manufacturing technology.

Western Asian examples

File:Fluted bowl, Achaemenid, 6th-5th century BCE.jpg, Fluted bowl, Achaemenid, 6th-5th century BCE. Metropolitan Museum. File:Iranian - Shallow Vessel - Walters 571816.jpg, Iranian Shallow Vessel. Walters Museum File:Gadrooned bowl (Louvre, AO 30449).jpg, Gadrooned bowl. Silver. West of Iran. 700-500 BCE. Louvre museum

References

{{reflist Archaeology of China Han dynasty Funerary art Zhou dynasty