Fragment of a Wall Painting
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Western China and Central Asia were home to many Buddhist institutions, some of which were housed in human-made caves. Murals originally covered every surface of these cave temples, depicting Buddhist legends and hundreds of images of Buddhas. This fragment was removed from a cave at Kumtura, near the border with present-day Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in western China.
Caption
Fragment of a Wall Painting, 4th–5th century. Mineral pigments on clay, 17 1/8 x 17 3/8 in. (43.5 x 44.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, 35.1963. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Collection
Collection
Title
Fragment of a Wall Painting
Date
4th–5th century
Geography
Place made: Kumtura Caves, Xinjiang Provence, China
Medium
Mineral pigments on clay
Classification
Dimensions
17 1/8 x 17 3/8 in. (43.5 x 44.1 cm)
Inscriptions
Carved in plaster back: IV. Reise (K77) Kontura gr. Ang. II Höhle in D. Ecke an D. gr. Schlucht Inscription written faintly in blue on plaster back: Herr S. Culin zur ______ Erinnerung an der Besuch in Berlin 14/8/23 AvLeCoq
Credit Line
Brooklyn Museum Collection
Accession Number
35.1963
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