As noted on the British Museum web page devoted to it, this image of Vaishravana, one of the earliest dated examples in the history of printing, this was found together with the world's earliest printed book, The Diamond Sutra dated AD 868, now in the British Library, London. The text that runs below the illustration invokes the protection of Vaishravana, the celestial Guardian King of the North, and names Cao Yuanzhong, the Imperial Governor at Dunhuang, as the commissioner of the print.

Complementing the text is the image of Vaishravana, depicted with a stupa balanced on his left palm (his primary attribute) and holds a halberd in his right. He stands under a canopy and supported on the hands of the earth goddess. As explained by experts at the British Museum, the female on the left is Vaishravana's sister Sri Devi, Goddess of Material Blessings, who holds a golden dish of flower blossoms. To the right of Vaishravana stands a gandaharva (a celestial attendant) bearing a mongoose, and a yaksa (demonic beings, sometimes allies, sometimes enemies of Buddhism) carrying an infant in his upraised hand. The mongoose is a reminder of Vaishravana's previous identity, being an attribute of Kuvera, the god of wealth, from whom Vaishravana evolved. The infant is believed to represent one born to a childless king of Khotan, a boon from Vaishravana in response to the king's prayers.¹

The appearance of printed books and votive images allowed for a new level of convenience for patrons of Buddhism, though at this stage the block carving and printing process was still prohibitively expensive for any but the wealthy.

(1) Link of the page dedicated to this object on the British museum website.