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Mogao Cave 17: Medicine Buddha Teaching the Dharma
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Mogao Cave 17: Medicine Buddha Teaching the Dharma
CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Later Tang dynasty (923–936), dated 929; Commissioned by Fan Yixin; Ink and color on silk; 94.6 x 58.5 cm; Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum, Kobe, Japan
A strip of diamond patterning separates the upper and lower registers of this painting. In the center of the upper register, Medicine Buddha sits on a lotus throne, holding a medicine bowl in the left hand and a staff in the right. The Buddha is flanked by Akasagarbha and Vajragarbha Bodhisattvas and two disciples. Below the Buddha, two Bodhisattvas sit beside an altar making offerings of flowers and gems.
According to the inscription in the middle of the lower register, the painting was commissioned by the devotee Fan Yixin and dates from 929. The sponsor's parents, each accompanied by an attendant, are depicted beside the inscription. |
