Mogao Cave 17: Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Northern Song dynasty

In this work, Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara stands on a lotus pedestal above an altar. The headdress is adorned with a seated Buddha image and the topknot supports a small standing Buddha. Avalokitesvara has a third eye on the forehead, a mustache, and a beard. The nimbus is intricately patterned. Dressed in elegant garments, the Bodhisattva holds Dharma implements or form mudras with the multiple hands arranged around the body.
The canopy at the top is flanked by two apsaras. In the upper corners, the Buddhas of the Ten Directions sit on clouds. Numerous Bodhisattvas and Dharma protectors, identified by the inscribed cartouches, cover the sides of the picture. Two small figures, a hungry ghost and a beggar, stand beside the legs of Avalokitesvara, seeking relief from their suffering.
According to the inscription in the lower register written by the scribe Si Yanxing, the painting dates from 981 under the sponsorship of military commander Fan Jishou, who is depicted wearing a black hat and robe in the painting. On the right, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sits on a lotus throne, accompanied by the monk Daoming and a lion with golden mane.