Mogao Cave 17: Illustration of the Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Northern Song dynasty

A Buddha and two Bodhisattvas sit on lotus thrones in the center of the picture. The triad is surrounded by an assembly of disciples and Bodhisattvas. Scenes from the Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents are painted around the assembly, beginning in the upper right corner and moving in a clockwise direction. The Seven Buddhas of the Past sit in a row at the top of the painting. Below, a Buddha sits inside a large pagoda flanked by the seven treasures floating on clouds. The lower register is also composed of two rows of images. In the upper row, a cartouche containing text from the sutra is flanked by figures making offerings. Another inscription in the middle of the lower row dates the painting to 991. Avalokitesvara stands on the right beside the inscription. Ksitigarbha sits in the lower left corner. In the right corner, a monk makes offerings.