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

PLATE XXIII

PAINTINGS FROM BEZEKLIK

Bez. iv. A—C

HIS comes from the back of the altar or cult figure in the cella. It is a

fragment of wall surface, enriched by a diapered arrangement of rect-

angles containing seated Buddha figures in varied colourings, and, at the

top, a frieze consisting of three horizontal bands of ornament.

The top band of the frieze suggests a cornice decorated with a stylized acanthus

leaf motive, running horizontally, with the midrib on the central line and the sides

of the leaf folded over to meet, forming a sort of flattened sheath. The leaf is

shaded and high lights are added on the edges of the serrations. This motive is

repeated in alternate blue and purple-brown colouring, a chevron band dividing the

repeats. It has a Sasanian character and occurs, slightly modified, in medieval

illuminated manuscripts of the West.

The next band represents a row of mutules, drawn in perspective. The end face

of each mutule is ornamented with three little disks, the centre green and the

others red, enclosed in a rectangle. The under surface is divided longitudinally,

half grey and half brown. On the soffit of the spaces between the mutules are

shaded pink half-rosettes; and the metopes, at the rear of the spaces, are green. The

Hellenistic character of this band is obvious.

The third band has a repeating, trefoil leaf, half green and half yellow, against a

pink ground through which runs a central horizontal yellow stem, behind the

leaves. This occurs in Western illuminated work and in stained glass, and has a

distinctly Gothic character.

The wall surface below is divided by white lines into equal rectangles, each con-

taining a Buddha figure in dhyání mudrá, hands clasped in lap, seated on a padmasana,

with vesica and nimbus and a small canopy of drapery or foliage. The rectangles

are so arranged that the sequence of the three colours of the respective robes follows

the same order in both horizontal and vertical directions. Above the brown-robed

figure is always a red canopy with a yellow fringe; the others have trees behind

them. Background and halo colours are suitably varied.

This repetition of the Buddha, very widely used in most Central Asian shrines,

besides its spiritual value comparable to that accruing from the repetition of spoken

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