Sutra cover with boys holding the stems of large flowers

China

Not on view

Images of boys among floral scrolls, mainly lotuses, were imbued with meaning in the Buddhist tradition. Known as huasheng tongzi in Chinese or mahoraga in Sanskrit, this type of boy symbolizes rebirth from a sacred lotus growing in purified land. The decoration made this textile a fitting cover for a Buddhist sutra.

Sutra cover with boys holding the stems of large flowers, Plain-weave silk with supplementary weft patterning, China

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Sutra cover with boys holding the stems of large flowers, Plain-weave silk with supplementary weft patterning, China
Sutra cover with boys holding the stems of large flowers, Plain-weave silk with supplementary weft patterning, China
Sutra cover with boys holding the stems of large flowers, Plain-weave silk with supplementary weft patterning, China

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