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Silk Road Collection
Central Asia

Debris from Frescoes

  • Central Asia
  • Kizil, China
  • The 6th century AD
  • multi-colored plaster
  • 27.0cm in height 14.5cm in width

Fragments on the arch ceiling of Cave 163 in the Kizil Grottoes near Kuqa, Central Asia. The figure is very young, standing with his feet crossed. He seems to be holding a skeleton-shaped object in his hand. He is believed to be a pagan of the Brahmin who beats skeleton. Such Brahmins can also be seen in Buddhist pictures carved by Gandhara. This picture is also part of the story map of the Buddha. It depicts people who confronted the Buddha. This was brought back by the German expetition team led by Le Coq.