Sutra Box with Lotus Flowers and Seed Syllables, early 17th century, Unknown Japanese, 1 3/4 × 2 × 12 5/8 in. ( × × cm), Black lacquer with gold maki-e, Japan, 17th century, Designed to hold a scroll of Buddhist scripture, or sutra, this lacquered box bears designs rendered in gold maki-e of lotuses blooming in a pond and two seed syllables, or holy Sanskrit characters that represent buddhas or bodhisattvas. In this case, the syllables stand in for two different manifestations of the bodhisattva Kannon, or Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit: White-robed Kannon and Juntei Kannon.

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Size: 3743px × 4086px
Location:
Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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