Sutra Cover with Fish, Lotuses, and Trigrams
Unknown Artist
16th century
Medium
Silk satin with supplementary weft patterning
Dimensions
Overall: 5 x 14 1/4 in. (12.7 x 36.2 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1946
Accession Number
46.186.83
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Sutra Cover with Fish, Lotuses, Trigrams* hails from China's Ming dynasty (13681644), a golden age of imperial refinement and artistic innovation. Crafted as a protective cover Buddhist sutras—sacred scriptures—the small silk panel (5 x 14¼ in.) reflects the era's reverence for spirituality and nature. Produced using luxurious silk satin with supplementary we patterning, a sophisticated weaving technique where additional threads create intricate designs without compromising the fabric's sheen, it exemplifies Ming textile mastery. The motifs are richly symbolic: pairs of fish e...