Todaiji Temple Shosoin: Incense Burner Stand in the Shape of a Lotus

JAPAN, Nara; Nara period

This 8th century wooden gold-lacquered incense burner stand is one of the most decorative ritual instruments in the Shosoin of Todaiji Temple. The stand measures 17 cm high with a diameter of 56 cm. It consists of 32 lotus petals in four overlapping layers, each of which is affixed to the metal base and curls outwards, spreading out like a blossoming lotus.
The outer faces of the petals are gold-plated along the rim and painted with turkeys, phoenixes, mythical birds with human heads, and lions in blue, red, green, white, yellow, and purple. The inner faces are painted with scrolling vines, mythical birds with human heads, and mandarin ducks in subdued tones of blue, red, green, and purple. This creative work of art is exquisite and constitutes a highly unusual representation of a lotus.