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Die for a Wine Game

Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)

Not on view

This jewel-like die has eighteen faces, two of which are inlaid in silver on gold with the characters jiao (“good go”) and jiulai (“drink wine”). The other sixteen faces are inlaid with the numbers one to sixteen. The die was thrown to decide how many cups of wine a player should drink—quite similar, in fact, to a modern drinking game.

Die for a Wine Game, Bronze inlaid with gold, silver, and gemstones, China — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

西汉青铜错金银嵌宝石骰子

Title: Die for a Wine Game

Period: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)

Culture: China

Medium: Bronze inlaid with gold, silver, and gemstones

Dimensions: Diam. 7/8 in. (2.2 cm)

Classification: Metalwork

Credit Line: Lent by Hebei Provincial Museum

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Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.