Opium Cup

This elegant cup is carved from jade, thinned to the point of translucence. The artist took inspiration from a poppy, the plant from which opium is derived. Overlapping petals create the basin, and a stem with leaves forms the curving handle. Opium latex, a milky fluid produced by the plant, was dried, then dissolved in wine, milk, or water and drunk from a cup. Opium had been used in India since ancient times, for purposes ranging from medicinal to religious to recreational.