English
Silk Road Collection
Central Asia

Debris from Frescoes, Statue of a Buddha in a Sitting Position

  • Central Asia
  • Dandan Oilik, China
  • from the 7th to the 8th centuries AD
  • multi-colored plaster
  • 19.8cm in height Width 15.7cm

The mural fragment is believed to have been excavated from a Buddhist temple ruin in Dandan Oilik in the outskirts of Hotan in Seiiki Kaido. This is a small Nyorai sitting statue, likely to be forming the mudra of zenjo-in. The halo and the skin colors are white, the hair is black, and the garment is vermilion. Its eyes are directed towards the bottom right, where there was probably a big Nyorai statue. The eyeline stretches towards the faceline and casts a sidelong glance. This expression is seen in excavated fragments from Dandan Oilik as well as the murals of Bamiyan caves, cave number 620. In Buddhist ruins there are murals depicting many small Buddhas called "Senbutsu-zu". This work is believed to be a fragment of that.