 Included in the cargo were items of varying purposes , from spice jars and <unk> to <unk> , funeral urns and gilt @-@ silver boxes . The cargo was described by John Guy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as " the richest and largest consignment of early ninth @-@ century southern Chinese gold and ceramics ever discovered in a single hoard . " The cargo also included spices and resin , and metal ingots used as ballast . There were also special items found which include a gold cup — the largest Tang dynasty gold cup ever found — and a large silver flask decorated with a pair of ducks . The gold cup has pictures of people in various actions on its sides , such as musicians and a Persian dancer . It also has images of two men on its thumb plate with features that appear to be non @-@ Chinese , as they are depicted with curly hair . 
