National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

traditions in Art and varying in psychological conceptions. Such fluctuations of

fortune brought the Great Yüeh-chih to drive out the OEakas in 150 B.c., and these

were themselves displaced by the Chinese of the Former Han dynasty, who ruled

for a time, were driven out, but resumed control in the Later Han period after the

victory of the Chinese General Pan Chao over the Khotan ruler in A.D. 70. When

troubles at home, in China, necessitated their withdrawal the Ephthalites or

White Huns came into power, only, in their turn, to be ousted by the Western

Turks. But with the Tang dynasty, the Chinese, in A.D. 618, again took firm hold.

In A.D. 640 the Chinese army occupied Turfán, and later had the support of the

Uigurs against the Turks. The Tibetans, ever formidable rivals, attacked Khotan

in A.D. 665 and in 670 severely defeated the Chinese and took possession of the

territory, which they held until defeated by the Chinese General Wang Hsiao-

chieh in 692. Later the Arabs became troublesome in the west, and the Tibetans

again in the south. They were, however, checked until a Chinese general treacher-

ously killed the ruler of the tributary kingdom of Tashkend, when the infuriated

son of the murdered man stirred up revolt and attacked the Chinese, inflicting on

them a crushing defeat from which their authority never recovered. Ultimately

the Tibetans gained possession of the whole Tárim Basin, which they held until

driven out by the Uigurs about the end of the ninth century A.D. About the middle

of the following century Islam is said to have been established throughout Eastern

Turkestán by Satok Boghra Khan.

This very imperfect and summary review is sufficient to indicate some of the

probable reasons for the diversities referred to in design and treatment of the

paintings. Yet, although there are definite differences, there is also repetition of

certain identical mannerisms and even the use of the same compositions in dis-

tricts far apart from one another, suggesting the itinerant nature of the painter's

life, moving along the trade routes, equipped with drawings and tracings of popular

compositions, and exchanging ideas and tracings with brother craftsmen met by

the way.

The occurrence in the late medieval art of Europe of motives and forms found

in Buddhist paintings in Central Asia presents a field of research of considerable

interest, but it lies beyond the scope of the present work.

Of the examples to be here considered the earliest are those from Mirán

(plates I to III) and the latest, those from Bezeklik (plates xi' to xxxi). The

Mirán paintings come from the interior walls of the Buddhist shrines M. III and

xix

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