明 織錦童子紋經面|Sutra cover with boys holding the stems of large flowers

Unknown

16th century · Plain-weave silk with supplementary weft patterning · Asian Art

Images of boys among floral scrolls, mainly lotuses, were imbued with meaning in the Buddhist tradition. Known as huasheng tongzi in Chinese or mahoraga in Sanskrit, this type of boy symbolizes rebirth from a sacred lotus growing in purified land. The decoration made this textile a fitting cover for a Buddhist sutra.

Artist

Unknown

Date

16th century

Medium

Plain-weave silk with supplementary weft patterning

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, in honor of James C. Y. Watt, 2011