Smithsonian Institution

Metalworking in gold, silver, and bronze was one of the crafts in which Sogdian artisans particularly excelled. Many Sogdian metalwork shapes and techniques influenced Chinese metalwork and continued, with modifications over time, in Muslim Central Asia and Iran. The value of the Sogdian workmanship was such that their metalcrafts were traded extensively. Sogdian vessels—mainly silver—have been found in diverse regions of Asia, from points along the east–west Silk and northern Fur Routes in northern and southern Russia to areas of Central Asia beyond Sogdiana, and in China; FIG. 1.

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In addition to silver, Sogdian craftsmen fashioned vessels in gold, although only a single example survives FIG. 9. Its exact find spot is unknown, but it dates to the late 7th or early 8th century. Its handle is joined to its neck by the foreparts of a winged and horned dragon, a creature that has roots in ancient Eastern Iranian art and appears in metalwork of the early Islamic period. Similarly, the magnificent ewer emblazoned with a winged camel FIGS. 10 AND 11 shows the same type of handle attachment—an influence from Late Antique/Byzantine metalwork examples.