Cleveland Museum of Art

Buddhist Sutra Container

Date

1100s-1200s

Medium

gilt silver with incised Buddhist designs

Culture

Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)

Department

Korean Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. This container was designed to hold a portable Buddhist sacred text.

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