Mogao Cave 17: Seated Bodhisattva

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty

In this painting from the early 9th century, a Bodhisattva with wide eyes and a frowning face sits upon a lotus throne. The Bodhisattva, with a thin mustache, long hair, and a high topknot, wears golden earrings, ornaments, and a headdress. The hands display the vitarka (teaching) mudra. The gold nimbus and the aureole are outlined with flame patterns. There is a red sun disc and a white moon disc beside the nimbus. A canopy hangs at the top of the painting.
Beneath the lotus throne, there are inscriptions written in ancient Tibetan that are divided with vertical lines into three sections. They state the name of the figure and the name of the noble female donor, and indicate that this artwork was number 38 in a series of paintings.