Mogao Cave 254: King Sibi Jataka

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Northern Wei dynasty

This mural is painted below the niche on the north wall. It illustrates a story from the Mahaprajnaparamita Sastra in which the compassionate King Sibi offers his own flesh to save the life of a dove from a preying hawk. When this offering was deemed unsatisfactory, King Sibi offered his life. In the center of the mural is King Sibi. He wears a crown and has a round nimbus. Long hair falls over his shoulders, and his face bears a serene expression. His left hand is held palm out in front of his chest, and a dove rests in his upturned right hand. The king is bare-chested, and a stole is wrapped around both arms. He wears a long lower garment and sits with one leg folded up and the other extended downward. Above him are apsaras who fly through the air with palms joined and to the right, a hawk chases a dove through the air. A figure with a round nimbus beside the king raises a knife to cut the flesh from his leg, while another holds a scale to weigh it. Behind the king are women who wear ornate clothing and crowns, and beside him, figures crouch or kneel on the ground with expressions of grief. One of them embraces the king’s knee, looking up as if pleading. Behind these are other figures either in conversation or with palms joined.