Mogao Cave 17: Traveling Monk

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Five Dynasties

A number of pictures of traveling monks have been discovered in Mogao Cave 17. In most of these images, the monks are depicted wearing straw hats, carrying sutra cases, and holding a staff and a whisk. They are usually accompanied by a tiger.
This painting, done with swift strokes, portrays a monk with a hooked nose and an opened mouth. He wears straw shoes, a spotted robe, and a hat tied under the chin with a ribbon. A tiger with its long red tongue protruding stands behind him. They walk upon a trail of drifting clouds that extends back toward the top of the picture. A Buddha in a red robe sits on another trail of clouds in the upper left corner. The inscription inked below pays homage to Ratnasambhava Buddha. Another inscription by the monk Long Bian is attached to the top of the picture. According to records found in Dunhuang, Long Bian served as a monastic secretary during the 10th century, indicating that the painting dates from this time.