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Mogao Cave 17: Life of the Buddha
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Mogao Cave 17: Life of the Buddha
CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Five Dynasties (907–960); Ink and color on silk; 57 x 14.4 cm; Guimet Museum of Asian Art, Paris, France
This 10th century painting portrays Prince Siddhartha encountering an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and a wandering ascetic at the four gates of the city of Kapilavastu. It is divided into four distinct scenes. At the top of the painting, the prince, riding on a white horse, exits the city and meets an old man leaning on a staff. Below, the prince rides out towards a sick man lying on a bed. A grieving figure with raised arms and disheveled hair mourns the death of a figure covered in a red cloth in the third scene. At the bottom of the picture, the prince encounters a monk. |
