Scott No: 2283-86
Serial number: T150
Values in set: 4
Date of issue: July 10, 1990
Denomination: 98 fen
Designers: Wu Jiankun, Ren Yu
Size of stamps:
54*40mm for Value 1, 4
40*54mm for Value 2, 3
Perforation: 11
Sheet composition:
20 (4*5) for Value 1, 4
20 (5*4) for Value 2, 3
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

The special stamp set Dunhuang Murals (Part III), catalog number T150, was issued on July 10, 1990. It consists of four stamps, produced using the photogravure process. The stamp sizes are 54×40 mm for (1) and (4), and 40×54 mm for (2) and (3), with a perforation gauge of 11 degrees. Each sheet contains 20 stamps. The stamps were designed by Wu Jiankun and Ren Yu, with photography by Qi Duo, and printed by Beijing Stamp Printing Works.

Thematic Focus of the Set

This set continues the Dunhuang Murals series, featuring exclusively masterpiece murals from the Sui Dynasty at the Mogao Caves. The Sui Dynasty was an important transitional stage in the development of Dunhuang murals. The figures are lively and ethereal, and the colors are rich and splendid. The stamps reproduce the unique appearance of Sui Dynasty Buddhist painting, showcasing the charm of Silk Road cave art and carrying forward Dunhuang's precious ancient artistic heritage.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Sui – Flying Apsaras

Based on Cave 206 at the Mogao Caves. In the image, several flying apsaras soar through the air, with long ribbons flying and accompanied by flowing clouds and flower rain. Their postures are expansive and light. Sui Dynasty flying apsaras broke free from the constrained styles of earlier periods, with free and unrestrained movement, making them representatives of the maturation of the Dunhuang flying apsara image.

Sui – Offering Bodhisattvas

Based on Cave 404 at the Mogao Caves. The bodhisattvas wear jeweled crowns and draped necklaces, with warm and dignified faces. Their clothing is ornate and exquisite, and the colors retain the sumptuous feel of gold应用 in ancient paintings. It is a typical example of the elegant and beautiful Sui Dynasty bodhisattva sculpture.

Sui – Guanyin Relieving Suffering

Based on Cave 420 at the Mogao Caves. The image depicts the sutra transformation story of Guanyin saving sentient beings, presenting the Buddhist theme of Guanyin's universal relief of suffering. The scenes are rich in plot and complex in layers, reflecting the narrative characteristics of Sui Dynasty transformation paintings.

Sui – Indra

Based on Cave 419 at the Mogao Caves. Indra rides a four-dragon chariot patrolling the heavens, accompanied by flying apsaras and surrounded by auspicious clouds. The scene is grand and fantastical. Indra is a guardian deity in Buddhism, and the mural is full of romantic and magnificent imaginative color.

Artistic and Design Features

The set faithfully reproduces the simple and substantial tones of Sui Dynasty murals. The ancient mineral colors of red, cyan, and brown are warm and steady. The mottled historical texture of the murals is preserved. The lines are smooth and lively, and the figures' postures are soft and ethereal. The stamp formats alternate between horizontal and vertical, consistent in style with the previous two sets of Dunhuang mural stamps. The images are bright and transparent, fully displaying the unique romantic charm of Sui Dynasty painting.