Banner with Bodhisattva, possibly Mahamayuri
China (Dunhuang area, Gansu Province)
Not on view
This colorful banner from the renowned Buddhist cave temples near Dunhuang is an important example of early Chinese Buddhist painting. It consists of two parts that may or may not have matched each other originally. The smaller triangular piece features a Buddha seated on a lotus flower in a meditative posture. A bodhisattva standing on a lotus pedestal, richly decorated with precious accessories, fills the scroll.
The banner was likely displayed in a temple or the interior of a cave sanctuary, possibly in honor of the main icon in a complex. It could also have been hung outside a building or carried on a pole in ceremonies of various types.
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