Untitled

Unknown

late 18th or early 19th century · Silk · Asian Art

The Buddhist altar cloth (uchishiki) serves to cover the tops of tables and altars, especially the one placed in front of the temple’s main icon. This example here is decorated with lotus flowers in a roundel surrounded by large geometric patterns (hakogata) on a dark blue ground. Lotus flowers are revered in Japan for their ability to rise from muddy waters to become beautiful blossoms, and they are commonly associated with purity and the Buddhist achievement of enlightenment.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 18th or early 19th century

Medium

Silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891