Mogao Cave 17: Water-Moon Avalokitesvara

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Five Dynasties

This Water-Moon Avalokitesvara has closed eyes and a peaceful expression. The Bodhisattva wears a headdress with a Buddha image centered in front of a high topknot. The body is adorned with armlets, bracelets, and other ornaments. The right hand holds a willow branch and the left supports a vase. Avalokitesvara sits on a rock above the water, surrounded by a large moon disc. The left leg rests on a lotus and the right leg is tucked against the body. Bamboo trees grow on the right.
In the upper left corner, a male figure with two female attendants, stand on a trail of clouds. They are probably deceased beings in seek of a good rebirth. Blue water fills the background of the central scene. An incense burner and vases rest on an altar in the lower register. On the right, a devotee, dressed in official’s robes, walks towards the altar carrying an incense burner. His attire suggests that the painting was completed in the mid-10th century.
The appearance of the central image is similar to a depiction of Water-Moon Avalokitesvara at the base of another painting discovered in Mogao Cave 17. The painting, titled Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara, dates from 943 of the Five Dynasties.