Kizil Caves: Standing Buddha

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

This painted votive board portrays a standing Buddha with a nimbus and an aureole. The Buddha wears a brown monastic robe and stands with his head tilted slightly to the left. His right hand forms the vitarka (teaching) mudra while the left hand grasps a portion of the robe. Both feet rest on lotus pedestals.The nimbus and aureole are depicted with thick colored bands.
The facial features of the Buddha are painted with simple ink lines and there is the characteristic urna between the eyebrows. The finely webbed fingers on the right hand are one of the Thirty-Two Marks of Excellence of a Buddha. There are three holes on the upper portion of the votive board, indicating that it was hung on a wall for worship. The artist is identified in Brahmi script inked above the holes.