Textile Wrapper for Jingoji Sutras
12th century
Medium
Bamboo, silk, mica, and gilt bronze
Dimensions
45.5 × 31.1 cm (17 3/4 × 12 3/16 in.)
Classification
accessories (object genre)
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
193242
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This wrapper would have held 10 sutra scrolls. It is made of about 300 strips of bamboo dyed black and fastened with colorful braided silk cords, the coloring of which softly shades from green to white to orange-red. Under the bamboo is a sheet of mica that gives the wrapper added opulence and also protects the sutra from water. Three wrought-metal butterflies adorn the embroidered silk frame. The wooden tag affixed to the wrapper says, “Rules and Laws on Lives of Monks and Nuns (Maka sôgi ritsu...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...