Mogao Cave 17: Maitreya Buddha and Attendant Bodhisattvas

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Later Jin dynasty

The central figure in the upper register, identified by the inscription written on the front of the altar, is Maitreya Buddha. The Buddha is accompanied by four Bodhisattvas as well as the disciples Ananda and Maudgalyayana. The figures have round faces, patterned aureoles, and colorful nimbuses. Banana trees flank the canopy in the upper register.
The inscription in the lower register states that the painting dates from 940 and was commissioned by Wen Dayan and his four brothers in memory of their deceased parents. Their father is portrayed next to the inscription, dressed in black robes and holding an incense burner, while their mother is on the left, carrying an arrangement of flowers. The inscriptions were written in fine characters with a reed pen.