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

95o CAVE-TEMPLES & ANTIQUES OF THE THOUSAND BUDDHAS [Ch. XXV

but the majority are normal in these respects. Workmanship is much on a level throughout, and is in coarse style partly necessitated by nature of material ; but most are on a higher level than *Ch. 0052.

Ch. 0052. A. stands facing spectator ; R. hand raised holding lotus spray, L. by side carrying flask with porcelain body and metal neck and foot. Dhyani-buddha on front of tiara. Dress in Indian ' Bodhisattva style as in *Ch. oo88, with short tight over-skirt under girdle, ending in frill above knees. Long body with slender waist ; short legs. Flesh shaded with salmon-pink ; hair black ; jewellery yellow ; dress crimson, dull green, pink, and indigo. Blank yellow cartouche for inscr. to R. of head.

5f 7" (with loops 5' zo") X 2' I. PI. LXXXIX.

Ch. 0054. Paper painting representing Bodhisattva, prob. Avalokiteivara. Bodhisattva is seated â to L. on Chinese sitting platform with legs partially unlocked ; R. hand raised and held outwards, palm up and little finger extended ; L. hand held before breast, palm inwards and fingers half open. Dress, coiffure, and accessories as in Bodhisattvas of type *Ch. 002. In front, on cloud, stands small Bodhisattva, clasping neck of tall stoppered vase, mottled blue and white ; on smaller cloud below A.'s canopy are three kneeling infants playing on flute, mouth-organ (teapot-shaped), and clappers. Behind A. along R. edge of painting are ranged attendants, standing in pairs : below two Bodhisattvas, above two monks, above again two Lokapâlas (one holding club), and at top demon with trident. In spaces between legs of A.'s platform appear pairs of lion heads.

The lower part of picture shows (probably) the donor, Chinese high dignitary walking L. with hands in adoration, attended by two men holding crossed fans over his head and by number of other personages. Majority of these in civilian dress like himself—trailing white under-robe, â length jacket with wide sleeves, and stiff black head-dress of various formal patterns (for the latter see the Infernal Judges in *Ch. 002 z).

Chief fig.'s jacket is black, and orn. with symbols in yellow ; on R. and L. shoulders resp., discs of moon and sun on clouds, former containing tree, latter bird ; below each a rampant dragon, and below again, on L. a Svastika ; on R. a symbol unidentified. Three of the officials carry long swords before them, pointed downwards ; two (one, a mere boy without head-dress, walking beside central fig. and perhaps his son), rolls of paper ; one carries nothing and muffles his hands in his sleeves. Two in somewhat different costume—shirts of mail under shorter jackets, and long trousers swathed round their legs—walk a little apart, one carrying a fan. The men holding the crossed fans wear also white trousers and short jackets, while one has in addition deep belt or short over-skirt fitting tightly round hips.

The donor was evidently a person of unusual importance, for nowhere else is he represented with such a cortège of his own, and paying so little outward attention to deity inspiring picture. Attitude of his hands sole hint of his position as worshipper.

Good condition. z' 5' x z'. Thousand Buddhas, Pl. XXIV.

Ch. oo55.. Painted silk banner ; all accessories lost, and background discoloured in places ; condition otherwise good.

Subject : Bodhisattva (Avalokiteivara i) with purple lotus bud, stands â L. on scarlet lotus, both hands at breast holding stem of lotus which rises before face. Fig., dress, accessories, and workmanship of type *Ch. ooz ; brown irises to eyes.

Colouring very quiet, consisting of greenish brown, olive-green, some red, and touches of purple in lotus bud, jewels, and inner side of robe. Latter left the natural colour of silk ; folds faintly shaded with pink and outlined with solid red. Above canopy remain bells hanging from draped valance. z'2"x7'.

Ch. 0056. a-b. Frs. of two miniature paper banners ; upper part of body and head-piece, with signs of side-streamers. Painted on obv. only, with seated Buddha in triangle of headpiece, and rosette orn. on border. Body painted in sq. panels, divided by their diagonals into four triangles, orange, grey, crimson, and olive, with boss orn. at centre. Gr. length 5', width tiff.

Ch. 0057. Fr. of silk painting, showing a Buddha seated in meditation on lotus ; feet exposed, thumbs touching, mantle covering both shoulders and arms. Circular halo and vesica. Light colouring of red, yellow, and olive-green ; hair black. All edges ragged. C. z' x 8'.

Ch. oo58. Triangular head-piece with tapestry border from painted silk banner. Head-piece corn-posed of fine silk gauze, painted on deep blue ground with orange-red lotuses with blue sepals and green black-centred leaves. Fine colours and delicate work in Chinese style, each petal or leaf being doubly outlined with fine lines of white and red or yellow and red, and shaded inwards to dark centre ; but much broken. Backed with soft brown silk and retaining one streamer of the same.

Triangle bordered on each side with strips of very fine silk tapestry, hand-made (same as on Ch. lv. 0084, Pl. Cvi). These are complete in width, and woven with elliptical spot' pattern, so arranged that a complete spot, falling on centre line of material and occupying whole width, alternates above and below with pair of half-spots, which lie along the respective edges and touch horizontally. Ground brilliant orange-red. Each complete spot shows in middle a duckling, â L. or R. in alternate spots, standing with legs striding on plain oblong ground surrounded by eight spiral scrolls.

Scrolls in pairs like volutes, one pair on each side of ground. From middle of each springs a leaf like a vine-leaf, and these form four points of spot above, below, and on each side, alternating with buds on curving stems which spring from between each pair of scrolls. Design of half-spots slightly varies in having a chevron instead of bird, and dark blue triangular flowers in place of vine-leaves.

Colouring of complete spots as follows : scrolls, composed of parallel bands following curve, (a) brown (inner curve), red, white, green, alternating with (b) brown, green, yellow, red ; leaves true green serrated with yellow-green and with gold-paper strip in centre ; buds straight parallel bands of