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

692

THE ANCIENT CEMETERIES OF ASTANA   [Chap. XIX

with white patches on sides of neck and quarters, and black spots over all. Muzzle pale pink ; eyes black with dark grey eyeball ; fetlocks white. Hogged mane painted in black on the clay ; but forelock of grass fibre gummed on forehead.

Tail, forefeet, and both hind legs lost, and top of head with ears. Body and neck have core of straw ; legs, cores of straight wooden sticks. No hole under body for external prop, as in smaller horses ; but also no hole for core of rider, in saddle.

Saddle and Numdah of same pattern as in 014, &c., and brightly decorated. Saddle black with orange-coloured seat om. with black rosettes ; Numdah, orange and blue ground, orn. with semicircle of ` enclosed palmettes ' in black, orange, mauve, blue, and emerald green, and black and white border. Strips of white silk, for stirrup-leathers (?), are attached to sides of saddle. For stirrups found detached, see Ast. iii. 2. or 1.

No other trappings are shown ; but round hind quarters and breast a row of pear-shapes, cut out of yellow silk and pasted on the body along line which crupper and breast-band would have followed. For this type of decoration on horse-trappings, cf. Anc. Khotan, ii. Pl. LIX, D. vii. 5, and tassels on similar horses. Three similar shapes are pasted on forehead, and each side of head ; and one on tip of nose.

Good condition generally, except for cracks. For horse similar to this, see following, iii. 2. 058. H. C. 2' 2". PI. XCVII.

Ast. Hi. 2. 058. Clay horse, pair to the preceding, but with mouth open and nostrils distended, neighing. Teeth are shown, and tongue drawn back in utterance of sound. Face very thin. Top of head and L. foreleg lost. Painted maroon, with white patches (maroon-spotted) on quarters, and sides of neck, but no black spots. Muzzle pink ; nostrils and jowl light red ; teeth and roof of mouth white ; fetlocks white, turning through pink striped with black to black hoofs. Mane not painted, but made of white hair gummed into groove along upper edge of neck. Tail of clay (broken off), painted maroon, and represented as tied up in projecting knob, with knot of white hair gummed on within the tip.

Saddle and Numdah as in 057, with yellow silk stirrup-leathers. Saddle orange, orn. with outline hexagonal diaper in red, and scattered lozenge-shaped rosettes of composite pattern in emerald green, pink, orange, and dull blue picked out with black and white.

Remains of five straps on each side of saddle, originally plum-colour silk. Four of these on each side are equally spaced, the fifth being rather broader and placed with wider interval, towards back of saddle. The grouping is correct, but is sometimes ignored in roughly made models or drawings.

Numdah has red ground, and is gaily decorated with elaborate palmette and flower pattern representing embroidery, in same colours as saddle. Colouring very fresh. No trace of silk hearts of iii. 2.057. Strips of yellow

silk attached for stirrup-leathers ; for stirrups found detached, see Ast. iii. 2. oil.

Cracked about junction of head and neck, but condition generally good except for loss of leg ; and head expressive. H. 2'. Pl. XCv.

Ast. iii. 2. 059. Clay demon, from entrance of tomb ; of T`u-kuei type. Sits erect on haunches, with head up, mouth open, roaring, and forelegs planted firmly apart. Feather-shaped tail also stiffly erect. Body and head doubtless have straw core like horses preceding ; forelegs have stick cores.

Body is of lion type ; head like dragon's, with short broad muzzle, and huge round protruding eyes under heavy brows. Ears broken off. Eyebrows sweep back in thick up-curling green lock behind eyes ; and under chin is beard of three swinging locks, of orange and green, furrowed with black. From outer corner of each eye is painted ruff (?), a white band striped with black, following curve of wrinkles behind back-drawn corners of mouth. Wrinkles marked by grooves, but not painted.

From shoulders spring two pairs of narrow curving wings or plumes of painted wood, inserted into the clay. One pair are painted dark blue, the other terra-cotta, and both are preserved on L. shoulder but broken away from R. ; terra-cotta wing from latter is, however, preserved separate. Long locks of hair, moulded in the clay and painted blue, spring from hind leg.

Tail, in`shape of stiff heavy ` brush ', ridged down middle like a quill, is made of clay with strong wooden foundation, and stands up erect at back. Under-surface painted pink with red spots ; upper in variegated V-shaped bands of blue, orange, green, and pink, picked out with white and black.

Body and legs generally have brilliant orange ground, covered with large round green spots having brown outline and black centres ; brown spots are interspersed between the green. From chin, right down middle of body, runs a broad pink band spotted with red and outlined by narrow stripes of white and pale yellow striped with black. Fetlocks also are yellow, black-striped, and cloven hooves of hind feet slate blue. Hooves of forefeet are lost. Eyes have red balls, and irises of rings of white, black, yellow, and black, with green pupil.

No mane. Backs of forelegs ` feathered ' with variegated hair as in tail. Nostrils and outline of mouth black ; gums and tongue red ; teeth white, carefully made with long canine teeth.

Spirited and effective, but coarse work. Colouring very fresh. H. 2' I". Pl. XCVI.

Ast. iii. 3. ox. Fr. of paper, in two pieces pasted together, bearing traces of Chinese writing. Has been pasted to back of some woven fabric, of which it has taken impression. Colour buff and texture coarse. 4i" x 21".

Ast. iii. 3. 02. Fr. of silk muslin ; yellow with painted spot pattern of four-petalled flower in lighter shade. The ` resist ' seems to have preserved the threads from slight