Sutra Cover, Dragon Brocade
Original Language Title雲龍錦佛經封面
CultureChinese
Date17th century; Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
MediumSatin brocade
DimensionsOverall: 15 x 5 1/2 inches (38.1 x 13.97 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number35-279/39
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionDark blue satin brocaded in red, blue, green and gold in design of dragons chasing flaming jewels among clouds.Exhibition HistoryBuddhist exhibition, The Detroit Institute of Arts, 1942.
Emperors, Scholars and Temples: Tastemakers of China’s Ming and Qing Dynasties, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, August 12, 2016 – January, 2017.
Beautiful silk fabrics were commonly used for wrapping the paperboard covers of accordion-bound sutras, or Buddhist scriptures. Titles and volume numbers were written on a strip attached to the fabric. An intact example of a textile covering for printed sutras is shown on the [right]. These textiles were woven from colorful, lustrous silk and often accentuated with gold and metallic threads. Complex weaving techniques enabled the creation of a wide range of designs and motifs. This diversity of approach is seen in the sutra covers’ plaid patterns, floral scrolls and depictions of dragons and clouds.
Purchased through Laurence Sickman by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1935.
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35-279/49 A
