Mogao Cave 17: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva as a Guide

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty to Five Dynasties

Discovered in Mogao Cave 17, this painting depicts a Bodhisattva standing on a pair of lotus pedestals, leading a deceased woman to the Pure Land. The Bodhisattva wears a tall headdress, gold ornaments, flowing stoles, and an orange dhoti. A green-ringed nimbus surrounds the figure’s head. With both hands, the Bodhisattva holds a long-stemmed lotus that acts as a banner pole. The deceased follows behind the Bodhisattva upon a trail of clouds. Numerous small heavenly palaces representing the Pure Land can be seen at the top of the painting. An inscription in the upper right corner reads “Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva as the Guide,” and states the name of the woman who commissioned the painting.