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0271 Ancient Khotan : vol.1
Ancient Khotan : vol.1 / Page 271 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000182
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Sec. iv] ANTIQUES ACQUIRED FROM YÔTKAN AND IN KHOTAN   217

Y. 0024. Terra-cotta jug with single handle, resembling the Greek Oenochoê. It is perfect, except for a small superficial flake chipped from the body. The form of the body is composed of elliptical curves, narrowing gradually from the shoulder to the bottom, which is flat. The shoulder is full and turns over quickly to the slender neck. The neck is trumpet-shaped, pinched in on one side to form a spout. The simple and graceful handle falls from just beneath the mouth on the side opposite the spout, to the shoulder. The neck joins the shoulder in a soft concave curve, slightly depressed below the surface of the shoulder. The decoration is extremely simple. It consists of two incised lines running round the outer surface of the mouth ; four lines round the narrowest part of neck ; and two, lightly incised, where the curve of the shoulder meets that of the side. The surface of the shoulder is divided into four unequal segments by pairs of incised lines radiating from the base of neck to the lines at outer curve of shoulder. On each side of these double lines is a row of dots. One segment (the smallest) contains the junction of handle with shoulder. In each of the other three, which are practically equal, is drawn, by a pair of incised lines, a rather flat arc, extending from junction to junction of the lines encircling shoulder with those radiating from the neck ; in the segment so formed is a lattice pattern, lightly incised, and in each division a dot.

Height 5â", width 4", narrow part of neck x", spout to back of mouth 2$". Height of body to spring of neck 3i". See Plate XLIII.

Y. 0024. a. Two grotesque monkeys embracing amorously. Owl type. One head missing. Similar to Y. 0012. y. Height x". See Plate XLVII.

Y. 0025. Grotesque monkey in grey terra-cotta, squatting with L. leg drawn up so as to support L. elbow,

L. hand supporting head. R. hand veretrum lenens. R. leg partly outstretched and hanging down. Tail swings round almost to R. knee. Nipples and navel carefully and distinctly marked. The whole figure is carefully modelled and finished in detail. The back is hairy, also the front of the legs. Height IA", width x ". See Plate XLVII.

Y. 0026. Soapstone miniature figure of angel in attitude of adoration. The head is slightly advanced and the face turned slightly upward. The hands are together, as are the knees and feet. The figure kneels, and is sitting upon its heels. A pair of wings, folded together, spring from shoulders and extend downwards to soles of feet. The figure appears to be nude. The face is of same type as the infant in Y. oox 2. c. Height z ", depth i".

Y. 0027. a. Body of fine terra-cotta vessel, with portion of neck and stem. The body is nearly spherical, slightly elongated vertically. Round upper part, at junction of tapering neck, is a flat band $" broad, having a raised narrow fillet at each edge. The band between the fillets is decorated with appliqué hemispheres almost touching

STEIN

each other. Neck is plain, also stem, of which very little remains. Surface of body is peculiarly ribbed. The potter, having shaped and smoothed the surface, appears to have drawn a slightly convex cutting tool over it from top to bottom spirally twenty-nine times, making twenty-nine very shallow, slightly spiral flutes, lying close together, so that a sharp rib or ridge divides one flute from the next, as in the flutings of a Doric column. At one side, just above the middle, is an appliqui bull's head which evidently supported the handle. On the opposite side a hole is broken. The stem was hollow and, like the neck, was evidently made separately. The whole piece shows wheel-marks inside. Height nearly 7", width of body 5 ", narrowest part of neck xi", stem x ", thickness of material about i". See Plate XLIII.

Y. 0027. b. Small steatite carvings (charms ?), roughly made. See Plate LI.

  1. Monkey seated on haunches. Height t" x ".

  2. Grotesque animal, perhaps meant for frog (fish ?), with triangular hole in centre, -" x".

  3. Fragment of human figure (female ?), legs apart, apparently nude but for girdle. Head and feet missing,

AT" x

Y. 0028. Terra-cotta vessel, lemon-shape, broken at lip, probably used as an Ampulla. It has one small round handle at its upper half, and as a decoration a moulded appliqué monkey (naturalistic) is seated on top, leaning its back against the body of vessel and playing the sitar. The body of vessel is divided into six segments by deeply incised lines extending from the neck to the base. Between these the surface is corrugated by equally deeply incised transverse lines, ridges and depressions being of about equal thickness. The bottom is small and flattened but not accurately enough to enable the vessel to stand. Height 4", width 231", width of neck about xr, diameter at base x", thickness of material A". See Plate XLIII.

Y. 0029. Buddha figure carved in soapstone. Seated, face destroyed. The figure wears a single robe covering both shoulders, arms and legs. Ears elongated, hair smooth. Pose dhyana-mudra, on a lotus with three whorls of petals. The back is rough and flat, and seems to have been drilled in one place, from below, probably for a means of attaching the piece to something. Work of Gandhâra type, but rough. Height a$", width 2", thickness r. See Plate XLVIII.

Y. 0030. Terra-cotta bifrons vessel, with slender neck, probably used as an Ampulla. Both faces are broad, with long and slightly oblique eyes, small noses and mouths. One has a conventional moustache, quite small and twisted cable-like. This is obviously a male face, and the other is probably a female. The hair of both is treated similarly to that in B. oox. f., but on the female face the hair hangs down to the level of the mouth and is slightly turned forward at the ends. Ears are roughly modelled, and above ears are what appear to be the lower ends of handles.. Neck of vessel rises from top of head, and has

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