Sutra Tray
Not on view
Long use as a container for sutras is indicated by the shadowy imprint of ten scrolls visible on the bright red lacquer interior of this finely made rectangular box. That it was one of a number of trays for a large set of scrolls is suggested by the number thirty-six written in red on black lacquer on one side of the exterior.
Its high-quality construction—with very thin wood strengthened by a fabric layer (visible on the damaged edge) under a heavy lacquer coating of red over black—suggests a twelfth-century date, when carefully made storage boxes were used for the lavish sets of sutras dedicated to shrines and temples.
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