Mogao Cave 17: Tejaprabha Buddha

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty

An inscription in the upper left corner of the painting identifies the central figure as Tejaprabha Buddha (Buddha of the Blazing Lights), a figure often associated with astrology and the five planets. One of the earliest depictions of Tejaprabha and a rare example of a signed and dated work from Mogao Cave 17, it was painted by Zhang Huaixing, an artist who was active in the Dunhuang region during the Late Tang period (846–907).
Tejaprabha Buddha sits on a cart, wearing a red monastic robe and raising the right hand to form a mudra. Lines of colored light radiate from the body of the Buddha. An altar beside the cart is covered with ritual objects. The five figures arranged in a rough half circle around the Buddha represent the five planets. Mars, depicted on the lower right, has red skin, four arms, and wide eyes. Venus is portrayed as a lady in a white robe playing the pipa. The brown-skinned brahmin standing beside an ox is Saturn. Jupiter is depicted as an official in blue robes, and Mercury is a lady dressed in black with a monkey atop her tall headdress. All of the figures stand upon colorful clouds.