Buddhist mural fragment of a Celestial Being

This mural shows a Buddhist being with the thumb and index finger on his right hand touching. His facial features are elegantly outlined in ink with ochre highlights, and the glittering headdress and mandorla (halo) are lavishly colored a vibrant blue with lapis lazuli mineral pigment.

The Kizil Caves are located west of Kucha city in Xinjiang province in west China. Over 250 caves survive today and are renowned for their Buddhist mural paintings in a Central Asian style that reflects Indian and Persian influences. This fragment was probably among many artifacts brought to Germany by explorer Albert von Le Coq (1860–1930) from expeditions to the Silk Road. It was collected by Edgar Worch (1800–1972), a Chinese art dealer active in Berlin and the uncle of former Seattle Art Museum curator Henry Trubner.