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

472 THE ETSIN-GOL DELTA AND THE RUINS OF KHARA-KHOTO [Chap. XIII

MISCELLANEOUS OBJECTS RECOVERED AT RUINED SHRINE K.K. II.

K.K. II. oI. Carved wooden figure of standing Buddha in Abhaya-mudra. Head and both hands missing ; feet together slightly out-turned and resting on green lotus. Three garments are visible. An upper robe, red, is wrapped round body, over L. shoulder and arm, hanging in straight line down L. side of leg nearly to ankle ; at this level it shows a horizontal edge round back, and an oblique line in front upwards from R. to L., the line of upper edge crossing breast being parallel. The upper line at back runs from L. shoulder downward to below R. arm. A corner of same robe hangs from forearm to back of L. thigh.

A second robe, green, covers breast and back to neck and R. arm, and hangs in heavy loop from arm to near ankle. Covering lower legs and ankles is third robe, purple, heavily pleated and reaching to lotus at back. On this, in front are two white pendent bands, ends of girdle. Round neck hangs massive carcanet, gold, studded with rosette jewels. Folds in drapery very few and formal, being merely grooves.

At each shoulder is stump of an upward projection, red, which may have supported nimbus. Neck and feet gilded. Seen from side, figure is too flat, but the backward curve from feet to shoudlers conveys great dignity. From front the resemblance to twelfth-cent. Gothic statuary is most striking.

Lotus chipped ; corner of red robe, burnt ; crack down front. Height Io1", width 2" ; thickness front to back

c. Iz   Pl. LXVI.

K.K. II. 02, 04-7, 012, o17, a-b, 021, 023, 025-7, 031, 038-40, 046-9, 051, 070-3, 079. Frs. of plain silk. oz. Blue with piece of yellow attached, 131" x 7I". o4. Dark brown, 9" x 41". 05. Faded pale blue, so" x 4". o6. Grey-brown, 51" x 4". 07. Buff, with traces of paint or paste, 4z" x 3". 012. Buff, 7" x 31". 017. a. Dull green, 8" x 4". 017. b. Rich canary yellow, 6" x if".

021. Blue, x    023. Bright green, fine corded
surface, Iz" x ". 025. Two frs. blue, to larger is attached doubled strip buff, 13" x ISz" and 91" x 9". 026. Two frs. buff, stained pink in patches, 14" x 15" and so" x 2". 027. Two frs. plum colour, r3f" x 91" and 9" x 2z". 031. Pale faded blue, 12" x 8". 038. Three frs. dark blue. Largest 71" x 6". 039. Two frs., faded blue, 7" x 3" and 7" x 040. Blue, loosely woven with tiny fr. of inscr. paper attached, 141" x 14". 046. Dark blue, Tor x 15". 047. Two frs. black, 21" x 3" and ix" x 5". 048. Faded blue or green, so" x 6". 049. Buff, unevenly woven, 54" x 4/". 051. Faded yellow, I21" x 8;<". 070-2. Blue with remains of coloured and MS. paper adhering. Gr. fr. 13" x 14" 073. Dark drab, I I" x 9". 079. Black, 61" x 2/".

K.K. II. o8. Fr. of painted silk, canvas ; with group of seven celestial beings kneeling on cloud scrolls with which they are surrounded. Head-dresses all of tall Chinese type, excepting one, with crown. Features Chinese. All are enveloped in voluminous robes of one colour. The lowest (complete) dark grey ; to L. p. one red ; to R. p.

one yellow, one red. Higher to R. p., red, with gilded headdress ; highest, blue. Each figure nimbate and placed one behind the other en échelon. Drawing delicate and free. Well preserved. 44" x 21".

K.K. II. 09. Fr. of silk, canary yellow, faded, with six bold Chinese characters in black ink. 13" x

K.K. II. ono. Fr. of painted silk gauze, yellow, with white lotuses and green leaves and stalks. Touches of red brown here and there. Flowers well drawn. 31" x

K.K. II, on. Fr. of painted silk banner. Part of R. side near top, A very graceful Apsaras floats vertically with head bent downward towards central figure, of which flaming halo with elaborately drawn cusped centre appears below tasselled canopy. Apsaras has loose short-sleeved vest, open in V shape to waist, falling in graceful folds over hips and dropping in point at front.

In extended L. hand a small dish of fruit and in uplifted R. hand a flower. A pink clinging robe ornamented with spiral spots, and with green lining, reveals bare feet ; in front the long ends of girdle are knotted at about knee level. A massive carcanet encircles neck.

Outlines freely drawn in black. Very faded and ragged. 15"XI0".

K. K. n. 014. Frs. of painted paper, several thicknesses stuck together and painted in red, blue, yellow, &c., but

too fragmentary to make out. Very fragile. Largest 5,X21„•

K.K. II. 015. Fr. of silk damask, discoloured. Pattern loosely woven and indistinct, but rows of Svastikas can be recognized: A few Chinese characters written in black. 7"x4".

K.K. II. (316. Fr. of printed silk, dull pink with four-petalled buttercup rosette semé in white (resist). Very ragged. 13" x 13". Pl. LxxXVI.

K.K. II. o18. Figured silk wallet ; square when open, with edges turned in and pasted to paper lining. Two bands, composed of circular or elliptical bunches of flowers in blue and yellow, are woven across material ; the space between bands c. 3". Diam. of bunch 2". Space between bunches -".

The coloured yarns float loosely at back, and have been strengthened by paper pasted over. Ground colour of material probably pink discoloured to dull brown. In centre of one edge of square a band of some material for tying, 9" long. Very discoloured and faded. 71" x 8°. Pl. LXXXIII.

K.K. II. oIg. Fr. of printed silk, buff with lighter ` resist ' pattern of rosettes of four long petals, all-over. Roughly printed. 5" x II".

K.K. n. 020. Fr. of printed paper, showing repeating seated Buddha figure in meditation, similar to K.K. u. 056, but different block. 21" X I i".