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

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

To L. of centre • a sort of niche rising higher than upper edge of top band and extending to lower border of lower band. In niche sits a smiling ` Kylin ', the body turned to R. and head facing outward. Standing on head of Kylin, in crouching pose a Caryatid figure with R. arm upraised and L. on L. knee, supporting on head and R. hand a cornice of several mouldings. Above upper band to R. of centre, a vase with scroll-work indicated to R. and L.

Whole sketchy and pricked as a pounce. Paper rather thick and becoming woolly at torn upper edge. Cut askew at R. end ; L. end torn away. i4i" x 4". Pl. LX.

K.K. u. 0275. f. Fr. of drawing on paper. Bold floral ornament pricked for pouncing. Flowers seem to be peonies. Torn at all edges and tattered. Paper moderately stout and rather brittle, discoloured by age and darkened by black pouncing powder. I I" x 8k".

K.K. II. 0275. g. Fr. of paper, with printed straight-lined labyrinth. Paper buff ; ragged. lo" x 6".

K.K. II. 0275. h. Fr. of drawing on paper. Rough sketch showing a plain viewed from a high rocky foreground. Trees grow from the rocks, and a group of trees is in middle distance ; in far distance - a forest (?). Torn away at R. edge. Paper huff, torn and tattered. 16f" x 7/".

K.K. II. 0275. i. Fr. of paper, with drawings or tracings of two male figures, unconnected. One, an old bald-headed man with long overhanging eyebrows, seated / to L., elbows down and forearms flexed, palms up. Long nails and muscular arms. Wears full robes open at chest; shoes and heavy earrings in elongated ear-lobes ; R. p. shoulder bare.

Other figure, placed reverse way at opposite end of paper, shows head and shoulders only of a rather similar person facing / to R. Face very finely drawn. Paper dark buff, stained ; ragged. I21" x 7". Pl. LIX.

K.K. xi. 0275. j. Fr. of paper in two pieces, with drawing of part of kneeling or sitting figure. Both arms extended straight downwards with hands on ground, L. p. clenched ; R. p. probably with fingers spread. Drapery voluminous, arms bare. Lower part of long straggling

. beard shows at top of fr.

Extremely good drawing, especially L. p. arm and fist. To R. appears sketch of another hand with long nails and enveloped in drapery above wrist. Paper buff, thin and very ragged. 3i" x 6k".

K.K. u. 0275. k. Fr. of paper, with drawing of small piece of drapery. Probably part of K.K. II. 0275. j. Paper buff ; ragged. 21" x 22".

K.K. II. o275. 1. Fr. of paper, with drawing of head. • Face rather long, eyes large, slanting and nearly closed. Small moustache ; long ears ; short, very stylized, closely curled hair shown in contour only with small Usnisa in centre ; Tilaka. Drawing poor and stiff. Paper buff ; ragged. 4" x 8e".

K.K. u. 0275. m. Four frs. of paper, with' rough sketches of parts of hands. Largest fr. has faint indications

of more elaborate drawing almost invisible. Gr. fr. 5" x 5".

K.K. II. 0275. n. Three frs. of paper, two of which join, showing faded sketches of a series of figures each within a petal-shaped halo. First (L.) faces to R., kneels on R. p. knee ; the other knee raised with heel of L. p. foot resting on ground. It supports by both hands a large vase with short neck and a broad-lipped cover, held at level of head. Head-dress of cobras. No features drawn.

Second, which extends on to a second fr. of paper, is a female, facing R., kneeling on R. p. knee, L. knee raised and L. foot flat on ground. Body bends forward from hips and head thrown back. Prominent breasts. L. p. hand raised above head supporting small vase. On head seems to be a crown of spikes. R. p. hand raised but torn away. Face without features. Undulating bands float about figure.

The next figure perhaps joins up with the previous one. It is seated full face, the R. p. thigh resting on ground and lower leg tightly flexed. L. p. hand raised supporting large flower level with face. R. p. hand seems to be held at breast. Face missing.

Of the last figure only the R. p. half is present. It seems to be the centre figure towards which the others incline ; it is full face with head inclined to R. p. and has nimbus. Appears to be seated on a lion with the soles of feet pressed flat on each other. R. p. hand in Vara-mudrâ. Behind R. p. arm rises a wand with trident head issuing from a skull.

All the figures suggest Nepalese influence. One or two written characters scattered across paper may be Chinese.

On reverse of centre fr. is drawing of a large face, I to L., with Tilaka and downcast eyes. Paper grey ; ragged. H. of paper 3r, combined length 9e". Pl. LXI.

K.K. II. 0275. o. Two frs. of paper, with drawing of parts of large drapery. Between two of long sweeping lines of folds five Chinese (?) characters. Paper dark; ragged. Gr. fr. 15" x 4":

K.K. II. 0275. p. Fr. of paper, with drawing of a mass of drapery, perhaps lower part of seated figure. A single character or" device occurs on fold of drapery. Paper buff; ragged, 4# x 7

K.K. II. 0275. q. Several frs. of paper, one having impression of seated Buddha in Bhimasparsa-mudrä ; similar to K.K. Ii. 0293. a (Pl. LXV), but from different block. Edge of baluster ornament to L. of column of Hsi-hsia chars. and PadmAsana at bottom of page. Other frs. have Hsi-hsia text only. Paper buff, torn at L. edge ; margin for pasting at R. 8" x 1".

K.K. II. 0276. bbb. Fr. of paper stencil plate, cut through double thickness of thin soft paper previously used for writing. Pattern shows three motifs one above other. Lowest suggests balustrade set out in square panels, each panel perforated to leave in reserve a ` Union Jack ' double cross. Next shows festoons of round holes with suggestion of rosette at points of suspension