IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Serindia : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
894 PICTORIAL REMAINS FROM THE THOUSAND BUDDHAS [Chap. XXIII
predominant as usual.10 Besides him we find Matijugri and Samantabhadra, as well as other Bodhisattvas who are depicted in various attitudes but not defined by attributes or names.14 Vaigravana is represented by an iconographically interesting woodcut of A. D. 947,18 and a Vajrapdni, too, appears in â roughly cut design." Finally, there remain to be mentioned two large charms : Ch. xliii. 004 (Plate CII) shows a Bodhisattva within concentric rings of an undecipherable text, evidently meant for liturgical Sanskrit, and an elaborate border with sacred emblems, etc. ; Ch. 00420 is of simpler design, with Chinese and Tibetan text.
Among the few miscellaneous pictorial remains which still have to be mentioned there are two poorly preserved fragments of painted wooden panels ; 20 two paper pictures of shrines cut out in open-work and resembling silhouettes in effect ; 21 some miniature painted canopies in linen ; •22 and a number of artificial flowers of woos or paper.23
Here I may briefly refer also to the few pieces of painted wood-carving which came to light during my search of the deposit in the hidden chapel. That its contents had originally comprised other sculptural remains in a better state of preservation was suggested by local information at Tun-huang about small statues in metal that had been removed and used for presents on the first opening of the chapel.24 Among wooden statuettes recovered, all shown in Plate XLVII, the carefully finished small figure of a Buddha seated in meditation, Ch. Ivi. ooi z, and the very gracefully modelled relief of a flying Gandharvi, Ch. 007, deserve special notice.25 Lastly, mention must be made here of the small but finely executed terra-cotta relief plaque, Ch. lvi. ooi 2 (Plate Cxxxix) ; it shows a Buddha of pure Gandhära style, seated in European fashion, and was evidently cast from
a mould of early workmanship.,
ie See Ch. 00350. a—d (PI. CI), 00151. t (Pl. XCIx), 00185. a—f (Pl. CIII, also in lvi. 0026) ; liv. 0010 (Pl. C).
17 See Ch. 00151. a—s, 00204 for Mafijugri ; Ch. 00205 for Samantabhadra; Ch. 00416. a—b, 00418, 00422 for uncertain Bodhisattvas.
1° See Ch. 00158 (PI. C) ; also xxx. 002 ; XXXVi. 002.
19 Cf. Ch. 002o.
20 Ch. xxii. ooi. a shows a seated Buddha ; xxvi. a. ooi i small scenes that recall those of adoration:of sacred objects found down the sides of certain Buddhist Paradise paintings.
21 Ch. 00148 (Pl. XCVII), 00423.
22 Ch. 00138 ; lvi. 002o, 0025 ; for their decoration, see Ch. 00381 in List. For plain silk or linen specimens, see Ch. 00442.
23 Ch. 0077, 00149. a—f.
44 Cf. Pelliot, B.É.F.E.O., viii. p. 528.
25 Ch. 005-6, oo8 are fragmentary and of inferior workmanship. Ch. 0021. a is a fragment of a painted wooden vesica and halo, evidently from some relief image.
Miscellaneous pictorial remains.
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