Lormet-Statue-0494G-sml

Replica statue of a Buddha found in the cave temples of Dunhuang, China. This is part of an exhibit by the Getty Research Institute and the Getty Conservation Institute being held at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

On the western edge of the Gobi Desert, near the ancient oasis town of Dunhuang, China, hundreds of cave temples were carved into a cliff face and decorated with Buddhist wall paintings and sculptures. The caves are known as the Mogao (peerless) Grottoes. From the fourth to the fourteenth century, Dunhuang bore witness to intense religious, commercial, and cultural exchange along the trade routes linking the East and West, known collectively as the Silk Road. The documents and artifacts discovered in the site's famed Library Cave, along with the paintings and sculptures found in almost 500 other caves, tell tales of the merchants, monks and ruling families who lived, worked, and worshipped in the Dunhuang region.

Fore more information on this exhibit and the cave temples of Dunhuang go to www.getty.edu/research/exhibit…