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

Sec. iii]   FINDS AT SITES NEAR DOMOKO   135

OBJECTS SAID TO HAVE BEEN FOUND NEAR ULUGH-MAZAR

Ulûgh-mazar oi. Fr. of carved wooden nimbus ; circular when complete with ogee-shaped extension above. About I of L. side was formed of separate piece (missing), butted to remaining piece and held by two short clamps partly sunk into back. R. edge broken away.

Obv. carved in low relief, with emblem of wheel represented as a sun-disc in centre with eight waving rays streaming from it to raised border. The lower central ray is not carved, because covered by neck of figure to which nimbus was fitted ; but the missing ray has been painted on the wedge-shaped blank space left.

Between rays are eight six-petalled lotuses, with outer row of petals showing between inner. Seed-table raised and flat with seed cavities painted as rings. The two lowest lotuses are uncarved where they were covered by figure. Raised border carved into simple pointed leaves or petals placed cable-wise, with pearls between leaves. Ogee extension above, carved as waving flames.

Whole seems to have been coated with ` priming ' of pink over which other colours were painted. Rays are divided by channelled ` midrib ', and the two halves painted in contrasting colours, such as pink and blue (?), dark red, and pink, &c. Lotuses dark red with green (?)

seed-tables with red rings. Border and flames above, in arrangement of same colours. All colours badly worn and discoloured. In centre of disc and in uncarved space below, two rectangular holes for pins to secure nimbus to figure.

Rev. painted only with Buddha seated cross-legged on seed-table of lotus. R. hand raised in Abhaya-mudr . ; L., down near R. foot, .palm outwards, fingers flexed, partly broken away. Wears red robe over green under-robe visible at neck. Flaming jewel painted at breast. Wheel symbol painted in palm of hand, Svastika and Saßkha (?) on upturned soles of feet. Face round, of Indian type, outlined red, with black eyebrows, eyelids, nostrils, and corners of mouth ; formal high lights in white or pale pink.

Circular nimbus, red near head surrounded by grey-blue border, outlined pale buff. Halo to body, elliptical, dark grey (?) next body ; surrounded by red and buff bands, the buff spotted with red and green, and the bands divided by light lines. Outside buff band is a flame edge rising in long flames into ogee top. Surface damaged, worn, and faded. H. 2' 2}", gr. width of fr. rot". Pl. XIII, XIV.

OBJECTS BROUGHT FROM

U.Z. or. Yellow stone seal ; sq., with rounded back pierced for suspension. Device ; a crane with ruffled wings, exactly as Ser. iv. Pl. V, Yo. 00159. Face " sq., h. I". Pl. CXI.

U.Z. o2. Bronze seal; flat, seven-sided, with pierced shank at back. Device : deeply cut lapidary Chin. char. (?) Good condition. [At the top is 3 ta, great, below which appears to be a single character of which I can make nothing.—Mr. L. C. Hopkins.] I" x t". Pl. CXI.

U.Z. 03. Fr. of bronze sheath orn. ; cf. Tajik. or. Part of one side only ; long hollow case, pointed at one end, broken at other. Surface orn. with conventional floral relief, probably a pomegranate between long leaves crossing above in an ogee shape, and terminating in trefoils. Fair condition. I$" x r x t". Pl. X.

U.Z. 04. Carved steatite object, prob. miniature squatting monkey with hands to chin, head looking up. Hole drilled between body and knees (missing). I" x " x ï". Pl. X.

TATIS NEAR ULUGH-ZIARAT

U.Z. 05. Wooden seal, round, with handle at back, broken ; broken away at one side where hole appears to have been drilled. Stout figure seated on throne ; L. hand uplifted with curved sword,. R. hand holding mace (head down). Face projecting (rat ?) ; two sharp pointed small ears. No drapery folds, but triangular apron in front. Well and simply cut in fine-grained wood. Two minute holes on side of break as for rivets. Diam. i3". Pl. CXI.

U.Z. o6. Bronze buckle ; small, D-shaped, with remains

of tongue. f" x   Pl. XI.

U.Z. 07. Stone seal ; irreg. square, flat ; remains of loop-"handle on back. On face, four stems spring from centre where they are voluted. Each stem runs to a corner and then turns in a crude leaf-form, parallel to a side of square, occupying the triangular fourth of square area. Plain border surrounds the whole. Very rough work. Hole pierced through centre. I" sq., thickness }". Pl. CXI.

OBJECTS SAID TO HAVE BEEN BROUGHT FROM BALAWASTE

Bal. or. a-b. Fresco frs. of vertical border, light grey, orn. with series of Buddhas seated in meditation within long elliptical panels. Panels formed by undulating lotus stems carrying buds at the spandrels ; cf. Ser. iv. Pl. XII, Kha. i. E. oo5o. Buddhas as in Buddha diapers, Kuduk-köl. 024, &c. Bands of buff, grey, and red at sides. Gr. fr. Ion" x 91"

Bal. 02. Fresco fr. To L. p. a tree of horse-chestnut

type as seen behind Buddha in some Gandhära sculptures, and in painted silks from Tun-huang (cf. Th. Buddhas, Pl. XI). Against the tree, which is painted as an elliptical mass of dark green with leaves, &c., large shapes in white and red not understood. To R. p. is baldachino in red outline, supported by columns whose capital consists of a group of three inverted enclosed palmettes. . These support an ornamented architrave, carrying an attic story