Mogao Cave 172: Manjusri Bodhisattva and Attendants
Mogao Cave 172: Manjusri Bodhisattva and Attendants
CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty
Located on the left beside the entrance on the front (east) wall, this mural depicts Manjusri Bodhisattva riding a red lion. Manjusri has a dignified appearance and is surrounded by Bodhisattvas, Heavenly Kings, and yaksas. In the upper register are mountains and an ocean shoreline. The mountain ranges are painted in dark green, and the turbulent ocean is portrayed using the combined techniques of line drawing and three-dimensional shading. The image is representative of the landscape painting of the High Tang period (712–756). During the Early Tang period (618–712), there were usually three to five attendants painted in Manjusri illustrations, but, as seen here, the number of attendants greatly increased in High Tang period works.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves M-Mo, page 1005.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves M-Mo},
pages = 1005,
title = {{Mogao Cave 172: Manjusri Bodhisattva and Attendants}},
volume = 7,
year = {2016}}