Mogao Cave 17: Vaisravana

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Five Dynasties

An inscription in the upper right corner of this 10th century painting is written with the “Great Sage Vaisravana, Heavenly King of the North.” Vaisravana wears a headdress, armor, and black boots. He supports a pagoda with his left hand and grasps a trident in his right hand. The pagoda is in red lines, which overlaps into the cartouche. At the bottom of the picture, Prthivi, the Earth Goddess, supports the feet of Vaisravana on raised hands. The painting is mainly colored in blue, red, orange, and black. The lower right corner is slightly damaged. Loops are attached to the upper corners for hanging purposes. According to the inscription on the lower right, the painting was offered as a prayer for longevity. The inscription is written in Khotanese, which is usually printed horizontally from left to right, but here, is printed vertically.