Kizil Cave 17: Jataka of Two Women Fighting over a Child

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

Located on the left side of the barrel-vaulted ceiling in the main chamber, this painting is based on the Jataka from the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish. The story tells of a wise and fair king. During his reign, two women claimed to be the mother of a child. Therefore, the king ordered the two women to each hold one of the child’s hands and pull as hard as they could. The woman who was still holding the child after the tug-of-war ended would be declared the mother. The real mother loved her child, feared she would harm her child, thus did not pull hard. Through this roundabout way, the king managed to discern the real from the false mother.
In the painting, the king holds a child and looks at the two women, one light and one dark, who kneel on the right. The women wear necklaces and short dresses. They look up on the king with joined palms. The image depicts the scene in which the king discerns the real mother from the false one and returns the child to her. A heart-shaped tree stands in the background. The diamond-shaped border of the painting is decorated with scattered flowers.