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Mogao Cave 17: Manjusri Bodhisattva
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Mogao Cave 17: Manjusri Bodhisattva
CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty (618–907); Ink and color on silk; 39.5 x 14.5 cm; British Museum, London, United Kingdom
Manjusri Bodhisattva has a high topknot and wears a three-pointed crown. The hair, in ringlets, falls naturally to the shoulders. An oval-shaped nimbus surrounds the head. Manjusri stands on a lotus throne, holding a sword in the right hand and turning the left hand palm-up. The Bodhisattva wears a thin gray stole decorated with white dots, and fluttering yellow and brown stoles that curl into points at the ends. The picture is outlined with a damaged brown frame. There is a band of patterned flowers at the bottom. The posture of the Bodhisattva and the depiction of the sword suggest that the painting could have been made during the Tibetan occupation of Dunhuang (781-847). |
