Mogao Cave 17: Illustration of the Returning Favors Sutra

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty

This painting from Mogao Cave 17 is based on the Returning Favors Sutra. Scenes from the Prince Sujata Jataka, a story of one of the Buddha’s past lives told in the sutra, are painted down the side panels. The scenes begin on the upper right and move clockwise, ending on the upper left.
The central figure, Sakyamuni Buddha, is flanked by two attendant Bodhisattvas; all sitting on lotus thrones upon a platform in front of a heavenly palace. Directly below the triad, a heavenly being dances between two groups of heavenly musicians. Centered below the stage is Vairocana Buddha, attended by a Bodhisattva and a monk. The Buddha’s body is depicted with symbols of Buddhist cosmology: the sun and moon on the shoulders, and Mount Sumeru on the chest with four-armed asuras by the sides and a raksasa at the summit. In the center of the lower register, two groups of figures make offerings. The black hats worn by the male figures suggest that the painting dates from the early half of the 9th century.