Mogao Cave 465: Bodhisattva Making an Offering

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Yuan dynasty

This image is on the right of the Ratnasambhava Buddha on the south slope of the ceiling. The Bodhisattva sits in three-quarter profile and faces the left with a lowered gaze. The figure has a white complexion and long locks of hair spill down onto the shoulders. Light radiates from the urna on the forehead. The eyebrows are slender and curved, and the mouth is turned up in a smile. The Bodhisattva wears a crown, earrings, necklace, armlets, bracelets, and anklets. The upper body is bare with a sacred thread over the left shoulder, and a short dhoti is worn on the lower body. The left hand supports a lotus flower on a long stalk in front of the chest and the right hand is turned inwards in a graceful gesture. The figure is seated with one leg crossed on a white throne. The palms of the hands and soles of the feet are painted in vermilion.