Textile panel with phoenixes and lotuses holding the Eight Buddhist Treasures
Not on view
Bright yellow was the color reserved for the imperial family. On this panel, brocaded with gold and polychrome threads, four flying phoenixes alternate with lotus flowers, each holding two Buddhist symbols. These symbols—an umbrella with paired fish, a vase with lotus, a conch shell with an endless knot, and a canopy with a wheel—constitute the Eight Buddhist Treasures, a standard design used by the imperial workshop. Introduced with Buddhism, this imagery is also found in contemporary porcelain, cloisonné, and other media.
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