Three Heads (fragment of a wall painting)
Wall Painting
ca. 6th century (made)
ca. 6th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This fragment from the Kizil Grottoes provides a glimpse of the rich tradition of Central Asian Buddhist painting. Kizil, located 75 km northwest of Kucha on the northern silk route, was an important Buddhist centre from 200-700 CE and 236 rock cut caves were richly decorated with paintings. The route was favoured by pilgrim monks on their way to visit holy sites in India. The caves were excavated by German archaeologists in the early 1900s who removed many of the paintings and took them to Berlin where some were subsequently destroyed during World War II.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Three Heads (fragment of a wall painting) (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Mural painting |
| Brief description | Fragment of wall painting, depicting three heads, 6th century, a Buddhist subject, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, ca. 6th century |
| Physical description | Mud and straw mural, with three figures depicted. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | This fragment from a fresco from the Kizil grottoes was purchased for £40 from the dealer Monsieur Charles Ratton (Paris). It was claimed at the time that: "The Museum fur Volkenkunste in Berlin has all these frescoes, which were found by Le Coq and none are normally obtainable. This was one retained by Madam Le Coq from whom Ratton has obtained it". Historical significance: Many of the paintings removed by the German expedition in the early 20th century were taken to Berlin and some were subsequently destroyed during World War II. |
| Historical context | This fragment provides a glimpse of the rich tradition of central Asian Buddhist painting. Kyzil was an important centre on the central Asian trade routes. It appears to have been largely Hinayana Buddhist, with rich temples endowed by the wealthy merchant community. Sections of wall paintings were removed from the ruined temples at Kyzil by the third expedition of the Berlin Ethnological Museum in 1906. This fragment was subsequently in the collection of Albert von Le Coq, the expedition leader. |
| Production | Kyzil (or Kizil or Qizil) caves, located 75 km northwest of Kucha on the northern arm of the Silk Road. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This fragment from the Kizil Grottoes provides a glimpse of the rich tradition of Central Asian Buddhist painting. Kizil, located 75 km northwest of Kucha on the northern silk route, was an important Buddhist centre from 200-700 CE and 236 rock cut caves were richly decorated with paintings. The route was favoured by pilgrim monks on their way to visit holy sites in India. The caves were excavated by German archaeologists in the early 1900s who removed many of the paintings and took them to Berlin where some were subsequently destroyed during World War II. |
| Bibliographic reference | Zhao Li, Kezi’er shiku bihua fuyuan yanjiu (A Study of the Restoration of the Kizil Grotto Murals), 2 vols, Shanghai shuhua chubanshe, 2020, vol. 2, pp.703-727. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.503-1939 |
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| Record created | February 13, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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