Attendant bodhisattvas,

mid-10th century

This depiction of attendant bodhisattvas is one of the earliest surviving temple wall paintings from China. Despite its extensive damage and modern restorations, it provides important information about how early religious temple paintings were produced. First, a thick layer of mud, reinforced by straw, was applied over a masonry backing. A thin layer of fine clay mixed with vegetable fibers was added, followed by a smooth topcoat of lime. The design was then drawn in ink outlines and filled with color. In this fragment, a standing bodhisattva holds a plate containing a jeweled mountain or piece of coral. In the full composition, this figure and the seated bodhisattva in the foreground would have likely flanked a central Buddhist icon. Another fragment, depicting a pair of flanking figures belonging to the opposite side of the composition, is now in the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC. The fragments are believed to come from Cisheng temple (built about 952) in Wen county, Henan province, eastern China.