Intersecting artistic tradition in the Tarim Basin: A painted wooden panel from Kizil (Kucha, Xinjiang)

The artistic relationship between the ancient oases of Khotan and Kucha, situated respectively on the southern and northern edges of the Taklamakan Desert (Tarim Basin, Xinjiang), has thus far received only limited scholarly attention. Divergent doctrinal orientations and the distinctive archaeological features of their Buddhist sites may have discouraged closer comparative analysis. Nevertheless, recent research has begun to yield promising insights into their artistic and cultural interconnections. This article seeks to contribute to this discussion through the examination of a relatively understudied object: a painted wooden panel from Kizil (Kucha), most likely dating to the latest phase of the site’s activity (midseventh century CE or slightly later). Following a detailed description of the composition represented on the panel, the discussion will address the complex issue of its possible subject matter and intended meaning. It will then consider a number of iconographic and stylistic features that reveal evidence of interaction between different artistic traditions, most notably those of Kucha and Khotan. These observations, taken together, aim to shed further light on the dynamics of cross-cultural exchange in the Tarim Basin and to suggest new directions for future research.