Scott No: -
Serial number: 2008-16
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: July 6, 2008
Denomination: 480 fen
Designer: Wang Huming
Size of stamps:
43 * 44 mm for V I,II;
44 * 33 mm for V III, IV
Perforation:
13.5 * 13 for V I,II;
13 * 13.5 for V III, IV
Sheet composition: 16
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

On July 6, 2008, the special stamp "Kucha Grottoes Murals" (catalog number 2008-16) was officially issued. The set consists of four stamps, each with a face value of 1.20 yuan, for a total face value of 4.80 yuan. The stamps were designed by Wang Huming, with photography by Wang Jianlin, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works using the photogravure process.

The ancient Kingdom of Kucha was located on the important route of the Silk Road, roughly in the area of present-day Kuqa, Aksu, Xinjiang. The Kucha grottoes, including the Kizil and Kumtura caves, are the earliest surviving Buddhist cave sites in the Western Regions of China. The murals in these caves blend elements of ancient Indian, Greek, Persian, and Central Plains art, creating a unique style of Western Regions Buddhist painting that bears witness to the multicultural exchange along the Silk Road. The stamps feature four classic mural masterpieces, covering themes of bodhisattvas, guardian deities, flying apsaras, and Buddha preaching scenes, presenting the essence of Kucha Buddhist art, promoting the precious cultural heritage of the Western Regions, and recreating the long history of cultural exchange between East and West along the Silk Road.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background:

Bodhisattva

Image: A standing bodhisattva from Cave 2 of the Kumtura Grottoes.
Significance: The bodhisattva is depicted with a graceful form and elaborate ornaments, with elegant lines characteristic of the mid-period Kucha murals, representing the localized style of Western Regions bodhisattva imagery.

Guardian Deity

Image: A guardian deity from Cave 189 of the Kizil Grottoes.
Significance: The guardian deity is shown in armor with a majestic expression, retaining the distinctive features of Western Regions figures with deep-set eyes and high noses, combining strength with religious solemnity, representing a classic style of Kucha grotto guardian figures.

Flying Apsaras

Image: A flying apsara from Cave 8 of the Kizil Grottoes.
Significance: The Kucha flying apsara differs from the later Dunhuang style, with a more robust and dynamic form, and well-preserved colors. This provides an important physical example of the evolution of flying apsara imagery from the Western Regions to the Central Plains.

Maitreya Preaching

Image: The Maitreya preaching scene from Cave 17 of the Kizil Grottoes.
Significance: The composition centers on Maitreya Bodhisattva, surrounded by celestial beings listening to the sermon. The grand and orderly composition reflects the prevalence of Maitreya worship in ancient Kucha, representing a classic example of Buddhist narrative murals.

Artistic and Design Features:

The stamps use a varied layout with two vertical and two horizontal formats, creating visual diversity. The designs faithfully reproduce the original colors and weathered textures of the murals, preserving the traces of the passage of time without excessive restoration or embellishment. The four stamps cover a complete range of Buddhist imagery. The photogravure printing delicately captures the rich color layers of the murals, presenting the unique heavy texture of mineral pigments. The clean layout highlights the mural subjects, allowing the ancient art of the Western Regions to be directly appreciated.

This stamp set is a thematic issue on the Silk Road and Western Regions grotto murals, forming an important part of the series of ancient mural stamps, following the Dunhuang and Yongle Palace mural issues. Available in stamp set and large sheet formats, it is often collected together with other cave art stamps, such as the Dunhuang Murals, Yungang Grottoes, and Longmen Grottoes, making it an important item for thematic collections on Western Regions history, culture, and Buddhist art.