Mogao Cave 17: Thousand Buddhas

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty to Five Dynasties

This fragment of a painting, dating from the late 9th or early 10th century, portrays nine of the Thousand Buddhas in two rows. The Buddhas wear monastic robes, have circular nimbuses and mandorlas, and sit in full lotus position on lotus thrones. The colors of the nimbuses, mandorlas, and robes change from figure to figure in an alternating pattern. Although the painting has faded, the contrast between the cold and warm hues is still apparent. Flowers, leaves, a canopy, and a small portion of the mandorla of a large central figure are embroidered at the bottom of the fragment, making this one of the few surviving works from Dunhuang that combine painting and embroidery.