A Comparative Study of Decorative Techniques in Sasanian-Style and Islamic-Style Glassware Unearthed in China

Glassware represents one of the most significant categories of artifacts attesting to trade and cultural exchange between ancient China and Central Asia. Sasanian-style glassware has been discovered in contexts such as the Western Jin tomb at Wulidun in Echeng, Hubei, and the Northern Zhou tomb of Li Xian, while Islamic-style glassware has been found in the underground palace of Famen Temple, the tomb of the Princess of the Chen Kingdom in Naiman Banner, Inner Mongolia, and the White Pagoda of Dule Temple in Jixian, Tianjin. These two categories of imported glassware, though distinct in style, share certain formal and decorative features. This paper examines their decorative arts in order to highlight both the continuities and divergences in technique, while situating them within the broader development of glass decoration across Central Asia.