国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

description here given is the result of careful inspection of the original painting.

The attenuated conical column is yellow, ornamented with encircling bands of

linear scroll pattern, and rests on a grey ball which is supported on a spreading,

yellow base. The small hemispherical knob at the top seems to balance a shallow,

pale pink, bowl-shape capital, ornamented with acanthus decoration in red out-

line. The horizontal band or architrave, resting on the bowl capital, and its con-

tinuation, first sloping upward and then horizontal again, is enriched with linear

scrolls in red. Above the upper horizontal members of the architrave, on each

side, rests another horizontal band, the inner ends sloping upwards towards each

other, decorated with red lines. A light grey background, its lower edge level with

the rim of the bowl, runs right across the picture. The lower part of the background

is dark red, with a group of three white blossoms on black stems to the left.

The kneeling figure on the left is one of the very few examples, in all these

paintings, of a strictly profile view of the head. The face seems to be of a southern

Indian or perhaps Burmese type with long, oblique, and downcast eye. The ear is

normal and has a large, plain ring through the lobe. Above the simple band of the

tiara is a high, yellow ornament contoured with red. The armlet, with the design

of an enclosed palmette, is also contoured red. On the wrists are plain bangles. In

front of the yellow necklet is a rosette. The shoulders of the figure are turned

slightly, so that both are visible and with hands raised as in prayer; the narrow-

waisted body, nude to the hips, leans slightly forward. The crimson skirt, or dhoti,

is figured in white with horizontal undulating bands, studded with small dots and

punctuated with larger, pearl-like spots. Between the bands are pairs of confronting

beasts: one with wings, leaping forward, and the other, wingless, statant, but with

one paw raised. This seems to be a Sasanian modification of an early Chinese

motive, found on silks of the Han dynasty.' The appearance of grotesque animals

in textiles occurs also in Toy. VI. 02 and 073, plate viii; and perhaps on Har. B,

on the title-page. The rug on which the figure kneels has a grey centre with

oblique lines of dots and is bordered by an inner band of crimson with oblique

lines of grey dots, and an outer band of dark red-brown outlined with black.

Behind the figure is a grey vesica, surrounded by plain bands of dark red and grey;

and the nimbus has a grey field with white border.

The figure to the right sits with the crossed legs `full-face' and the narrow-

waisted, `leonine' body turned three-quarters to the right. With his plump face

I See Innermost Asia, vol. III, plates X}cxvIII, >coax.

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