Sutra Box (Kyōbako) with Lotus Pond

early 17th century

Not on view

This box with a shallow drawer was made to hold Buddhist sutras and is decorated with the sacred symbol of Buddhist art: the lotus pond. The style of the leaves, stems, and seed heads in the various stages of the plant’s life is reminiscent of early seventeenth-century designs by Tawaraya Sōtatsu (died ca. 1640). The application of the hiramaki-e (flat “sprinkled picture”) and e-nashiji (“pear-skin picture”) sprinkling represents a later type of the Kōdaiji lacquer style.

Artwork Details

蓮池蒔絵経箱
Title: Sutra Box (Kyōbako) with Lotus Pond
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: early 17th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Lacquered wood with gold togidashimaki-e, hiramaki-e, and e-nashiji (“pear-skin picture”)
Dimensions: H. 5 7/8 in. (15 cm); W. 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm); L. 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm)
Classification: Lacquer
Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Object Number: 2015.300.292a–c
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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