Mural Painting of Pranidhi Scene

Unknown artist

Clay

National Museum of Korea

This is a fragment of a mural painting depicting two figures, likely Buddhist deities, adorned with elaborate jewelry and flowing robes. The upper figure is shown from the chest up, while the lower figure is depicted from the waist down, holding a flower. Bezeklik Caves, the largest cave temple site in the Turpan region, flourished between the 6th and 13th centuries. The cave complex consists of around 80 caves that were hollowed into a cliff in the Flaming Mountains. The cave complex includes dozens of caves that are covered with hundreds of Buddhist murals, most of which have been significantly damaged over time. Some of the damage is due to natural wear and erosion, but many of the paintings were deliberately damaged as well, either by local Muslims or by Western and Japanese explorers who removed them from the walls. This particular portion comes from Cave #15 of the Bezeklik cav