Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644) Date:16th century Culture:China 明 Medium:Plain-weave silk with supplementary weft patterning Dimensions:Overall: 14 5/16 x 5 1/16 x 1/8 in. (36.4 x 12.9 x 0.3 cm) Classification:Textiles-Woven Credit Line:Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, in honor of James C. Y. Watt, 2011 Accession Number:2011.221.1 Sutras printed in the accordion-fold format were often encased by covers wrapped in decorative silks. Covers both protected the sacred words and presented the sutras in beautiful envelopes that signaled the importance of the contents within. These examples from the sixteenth century indicate the variety of sutra cover motifs, including some seemingly irrelevant to Buddhist philosophy, such as dragons, phoenixes, or the character shou, meaning longevity
Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644) Date:16th century Culture:China 明 Medium:Plain-weave silk with supplementary weft patterning Dimensions:Overall: 14 5/16 x 5 1/16 x 1/8 in. (36.4 x 12.9 x 0.3 cm) Classification:Textiles-Woven Credit Line:Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, in honor of James C. Y. Watt, 2011 Accession Number:2011.221.1 Sutras printed in the accordion-fold format were often encased by covers wrapped in decorative silks. Covers both protected the sacred words and presented the sutras in beautiful envelopes that signaled the importance of the contents within. These examples from the sixteenth century indicate the variety of sutra cover motifs, including some seemingly irrelevant to Buddhist philosophy, such as dragons, phoenixes, or the character shou, meaning longevity