Mogao Cave 272: Attendant Bodhisattvas

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Northern Liang Kingdom

These images are painted to either side of the Buddha statue within the back (west) wall niche. The Bodhisattvas have nimbuses and wear jeweled crowns with trailing ribbons. They have elongated earlobes that extend to their shoulders. Their slender physiques are accentuated by narrow shoulders and small waists. The upper torsos are bare, and they wear long lower garments that flare outward at the bottom. Long stoles fly around the figures. The left attendant Bodhisattva’s left hand hangs naturally to the side, and the right hand is held palm out in front of the chest. The right attendant Bodhisattva’s left hand rests on the abdomen, and the right hand is dropped to the side. The Bodhisattvas stand in tribhanga posture, their bare feet resting on lotus pedestals. The faces, bodies, and limbs of the figures are outlined and painted using the wash technique, which originally would have produced a three-dimensional effect, but has faded over time.