Lotus Flower-shaped Ornament

This is estimated to have adorned a Buddhist temple altar, and each set was comprised of eight petals. On the surface of each petal, thin silver plate pieces cut out into the shape of flowers and butterflies are pasted and then lacquered, and finally, the lacquer on the designs was scraped out. This technique is referred to as “Lacquered Inlay”, which was also popular in Tang dynasty China. This type of lacquerware also can be found in the Shosoin collection in Japan, which offers a partial glimpse into cultural exchanges in East Asia at that time.