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Mogao Cave 17: Seated Buddha
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Mogao Cave 17: Seated Buddha
CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Five Dynasties to Northern Song dynasty (907–1127); Paper; 55.5 x 38 cm; British Museum, London, United Kingdom
This 10th century object from Mogao Cave 17 was meant to be used as a stencil for creating murals. The faint figure of the Buddha sits on a lotus throne with hands in the vitarka (teaching) mudra. Small pinholes are used to form the image. Thus, it could be placed against a wall and coated with chalk, creating an outline for mural artists to fill in. Black wavy lines are used to depict radiating light from the aureole, while red is applied to the lips and edges of the nimbus. The three dark lines on the edge may have been used as aligning markers. |
