Buddha Triad

Tang Dynasty, 618 - 906 AD
Gansu Provincial Museum

This stunning triad, of a seated Shakyamuni in bhumisparsha flanked by two Bodhisattvas, also comes from Tiantishan (previous page). The modern painted backdrop presumably recreates the figures' original context. Statues and paintings from Tiantishan were moved to the Gansu Museum for preservation when the Huangyang River reservoir was constructed in 1960.