Cat 121: Tibetan Bodhisattva

This tenth-century painting shows Tibetan stylistic influences. Recent scholarship has suggested that the figure depicted may be the bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha. The painting is similar to two others also found in the famous Library Cave of Dunhuang. At the bottom is a Tibetan number, probably indicating the painting's place in a series. To the left of this, a Tibetan inscription probably reads: 'the protector of the upper direction.' On the right side a name appears: 'Te Göza Legmo drew this.' The feminine termination 'mo' suggests that the artist, or perhaps the sponsor, was a noblewoman.

Ink and pigments on silk
The British Museum, 1919,0101,0.50