Khara Khoto: Sakyamuni Buddha Triad

CHINA, Inner Mongolia, Alxa; Western Xia period

In this 12th or early 13th century painting, Sakyamuni Buddha has an unusually large head, a stout body, a nimbus, and a mandorla. He is seated in a full lotus position on a lotus throne within a niche decorated with jewels and images of kalavinka birds.The Buddha wears a monastic robe with floral patterns on the hems. The left hand is held in front of the stomach and the right hand reaches down, forming the bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra.
Two Bodhisattvas standing on inverted lotus pedestals flank the Buddha. On the left is the white Maitreya, who wears a headdress and holds a lotus topped with a golden vase in the left hand. The yellow Avalokitesvara is on the right, also wearing a headdress and holding a lotus.
The Five Dhyani Buddhas sit in a row at the top of the image. The Dhyani Buddhas are dressed in red monastic robes and each form a different mudra. At the bottom of the painting, there are five dancing female deities. In each of the bottom corners, there is an image of a monk with a nimbus, aureole, and mandorla. Golden triangles are painted between the nimbuses and the aureoles of the Dhyani Buddhas and the monks.