The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 20, 2026

A rectangular gilt silver container features a border of swirling scrolls framing a central panel of four incised figures in two rows. Wearing armor and draped robes, the figures with circular halos stand atop stylized clouds, with the top-left figure holding a vertical sword. A prominent crack runs from the weathered bottom edge diagonally across the muted gold surface, highlighting the worn condition of the metallic face.

Buddhist Sutra Container

1100s–1200s

Korea, Goryeo dynasty

(918–1392)
gilt silver with incised Buddhist designs
Overall: 9.5 x 6 x 2.3 cm (3 3/4 x 2 3/8 x 7/8 in.)
Gift of Mitsuru Tajima 1998.122
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

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

Description

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.
  • ?–1998
    Mitsuru Tajima 田島充 [b. 1936], Tokyo, Japan, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1998–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Goryeo Dynasty: Korea's Age of Enlightenment, 918-1392. San Francisco: Asian Art Museum, 2003.
    Goryeo: The Glory of Korea [대고려, 그 찬란한 도전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2018.
    Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, and 국외소재문화재재단. The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Edited by An Min-hŭi. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 110–111, no. 70
  • {{cite web|title=Buddhist Sutra Container|url=false|author=|year=1100s–1200s|access-date=20 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1998.122