A cross, each arm that ends in extensions of beads, appears both in the headdress of the figure and pendant of the necklace that he is wearing, as well as on the top of the long staff that he is holding in the left hand.

It is speculated that this painting was made based on the icon of Christ that the Persian missionary Alopen carried to Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Empire.

[note 1][2] The figure with the right hand held open and the thumb touching the middle finger, which is a variant of the Vitarka Mudrā, the gesture of discussion and transmission of the teachings, it is generally seen in the Hindu and Buddhist iconography.

[3] According to the German professor Hans-Joachim Klimkeit [de] and Swiss scholar Christoph Baumer, “the figure represents Jesus Christ or a saint”.

[4][5][6] Tōru Haneda [ja], a Japanese historian and professor of Kyoto University, argues that “the unearthed in Dunhuang must be an image of Christ”.