Bodhisattva Reading a Sutra, Liao dynasty, 12th century. Clay mixed with straw with traces of pigment and gold on gesso, 91.44 × 53.34 × 31.75 cm. Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund, 2003.127.1 © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts 

Seated on a straw mat and reading a sutra scroll, this figure may represent Puxian (Samantabhadra), the bodhisattva of kindness in Mahayana Buddhism. Its medium scale and unfinished back indicate that it may have been a temple wall hanging. The darkened face and garment hint of possible fire damage. The Liao dynasty, ruled by nomadic people known as Khitan, occupied northeastern China, including present-day Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Shanxi, and Beijing. The Khitan Empire adopted Buddhism as its religion and sponsored the construction of many temples where Buddhist sculptures were built and housed.