Illustrated manuscript of the Lotus Sutra (Miaofa lianhua jing), Volume 2

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The practice of producing luxurious Buddhist sutras out of sumptuous materials extended beyond China to Korea and Japan. This example from Korea exploits the striking combination of gold and silver pigments with midnight blue indigo-dyed paper to imbue the sacred written word with a glowing luminosity.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art