Mogao Cave 285: Apsaras

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Western Wei dynasty

These images are found on the upper south wall. Painted in the style of the Central Plains region, the 12 apsaras have delicate, round faces and graceful features. They all fly towards the back (west) wall. Most of the apsaras hold musical instruments, including a waist drum, flute, panpipes, reed instrument, pear-shaped lute, moon-shaped lute, and harp, except for the figures on the far left and right, who offer flowers.
The two apsaras seen here are on the right side of the wall. One apsara holds a harp while the other holds a moon-shaped lute. They both fly through the sky among floating clouds. Below them is a narrative illustration from the Life of the Buddha, a depiction of the Conversion of Five Hundred Bandits, and an image of Sakyamuni and Prabhutaratna Buddhas seated together to teach the Dharma. A child apsara flies to the left of the canopy that shelters the two Buddhas.