Maijishan Grotto 76: Ceiling

CHINA, Gansu, Tianshui; Northern Wei dynasty

The middle section of Grotto 76’s ceiling is decorated with a round lotus flower encircled by ten apsaras. Each apsara is depicted with necklaces, a high topknot, headdress, flowing stoles, and armlets. The upper torso is bare and a skirt covers the lower part of the body. The bodily contours, garments, and facial features of the apsaras are carefully painted with fine lines. The area around the apsaras is filled with fine lined sketches of petals, flowers, and clouds. The ceiling’s brilliant colors of blue, beige, green, and reds are presented in a harmonious manner. Each apsara holds an offering tray and floats through the sky toward the center of the ceiling. Although the slenderness of the apsaras is characteristic of the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534), traces of paint on the ceiling suggest that the mural was repainted at a later time.