Buddhist Sutra Container
1100–1299
- Medium
- gilt silver with incised Buddhist designs
- Dimensions
- Overall: 9.5 x 6 x 2.3 cm (3 3/4 x 2 3/8 x 7/8 in.)
- Genre
- metalwork
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
About
This container was designed to hold sutras, or Buddhist sacred texts. The Four Heavenly Kings, one for each of the cardinal directions, are incised on the exterior of the container. Images of the Four Heavenly Kings can often be found on Korean containers for sacred relics and sutras, and are symbolic of the wish to preserve the Buddha’s teachings.