Mogao Cave 17: Nine-Headed, Six-Armed Avalokitesvara and the Recorders of Good and Evil

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Five Dynasties to Northern Song dynasty

In this painting from Mogao Cave 17, the tall Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva stands on a lotus throne. Above the main head are three tiers of smaller heads. The head of Amitabha Buddha is at the top. Swirling colors fill the nimbus. The Bodhisattva has a round face, fine eyebrows, and a mustache. Ornaments, stoles, and a dhoti cover the body. Two raised hands support a sun and a moon disc, and the middle hands hold red lotuses. The lowered hands carry a vase and prayer beads. In the upper corners, Buddhas sit on clouds that rise from beside the nimbus of the central figure.
The Recorders of Good and Evil stand in the lower corners. The Recorder of Good smiles and carries a scroll and brush. The Recorder of Evil appears solemn and carries an opened scroll.