National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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Serindia : vol.2 |
958 CAVE-TEMPLES & ANTIQUES OF THE THOUSAND BUDDHAS [Ch. XXV
by side, R. holding up flat sq. object, metal-bound, with green top and pink sides, perhaps amulet-box. Single flaming jewel on front of tiara. Inferior example of *Ch. 002 type, which it follows in dress, accessories, etc. Colour much worn ; chiefly brown, crimson, green, and black (on stole). Flesh left yellow-brown of silk and shaded with red ; additional chains and necklaces (almost effaced) have been added on breast in orange. I' 6k"x rye°.
Ch. 0097. Lower half of painted silk banner, retaining wide bottom streamers (two) of discoloured greenish-grey silk, and weighting-board of folded paper cut from Tib. Sûtra and painted red.
Subject : Bodhisallva, perhaps Mafiju§ri. Lower halt only of fig. remains, standing on two small lotuses, R. leg straight, L. in profile and slightly bent. At top of R. leg are remains of hand holding P6thi. Drawing very stiff and akin to that of Indian ' banners, *Ch. lv. oor4; as are also garments represented. Thin straight outlines of legs are drawn in hard black lines as if they were bare ; skirt drawn across them in series of conventional curved folds painted alternately hard yellow and red. Between legs and at sides folds are vertical. Green girdle passed round hips and falls also between legs, showing striped reverse side of red and white. On either side dull purple and blue stole falls in jerky curves to ground. Skirt clears ankles. Ankles and feet are bare and painted uniform flesh pink, outlines touched up after painting. Lotuses have fiat elliptical green centres and single rows of down-turned petals : under R. foot white outlined red, under L. two shades of dull blue. Colouring well preserved.
Painting x x 7k , length with streamers 3' 4y.
Ch. 0098. Fr. of large silk painting, showing head and body of Lokapla, perhaps Vai§ravana. Face, seen slightly to L., is demonic and convulsed with rage, the widely grinning mouth showing tongue and both rows of teeth ; eyes distended and glaring ; eyebrows contracted, and forehead bowed with wrinkles across entire breadth. Nose and cheek-bones high, eyebrows bushy, moustache wide and sweeping up at ends. Chin fringed by stiff spreading beard and whiskers ; ears slightly elongated and orn. with rings. Face painted dark grey, lips red, and hair black : all in good condition. Hair on forehead passes back under a tiara, set in centre with arch-shaped orn. surmounted by lotus and jewel. From the whole head streams up a cone of red flame.
Almost all paint is lost from rest of fr. Body, vigorous and muscular, is nude to hips, where edge of dhôf: appears pulled over belt; but it is partly covered by jewelled chains, necklace, etc. R. hand held before breast, palm downwards and depressed; fingers stiffly upturned. Grey-blue stole gathered over upper arm. L. arm lost, but hand appears above, grasping staff of trident with barbed points. Whole fig. drawn with great verve and freedom.
Along top are traces of light blue and red decorated PadmAsana now almost indistinguishable ; and in R. top corner, with further remains of the same red and blue, are
folds of grey drapery which do not appear to belong to either subject. Silk perhaps used for several paintings in turn. Gr. length 1' 5â°, gr. width Irk". Thousand Buddhas, Pl. XLVIII.
Ch. oogg. Fr. prob. from large silk painting. Main part shows falling masses of dull pink and red drapery gathered in by band from which trail leaf-like streamers of red, blue, and green. Prob. lower part of women's dress as in Ch. 00114. Below to L. is upper part of head, â to R., roughly drawn. Straight eyes and eyebrows ; hair dressed in double-leaf form projecting backwards from corner of head and orn. with two cones bearing lotus buds. In L. upper corner is part of lotus pedestal supporting jewel. Seam on R.
Gr. M. 4r x qa".
Ch. ooroo. Fr. of embroidered silk hanging, representing diaper of seated Buddhas. Worked solid, with
untwisted silk, in close rows of chain-stitch on strips of fine
light grey silk. Strips 4i° wide, joined side by side, two Buddhas seated in meditation on single lotuses occupying
width of each. Robes dark purple, carmine, and Indian red;
faces and hands whitish buff; circular haloes light cinnamon and buff; outlines of face, ears, and nose Indian red ; eyes,
eyebrows, and hair, vivid dark blue ; lotus petals whitish and cinnamon outlined dark purple and red ; background dull pale green. Repaired in antiquity and figs. irregularly joined.
On outer strips appear fragmentary scenes of more Chinese style, and another lighter and more brilliant blue is introduced.
On L., larger single Buddhas seated in meditation under fringed and streamered canopies. On R., below Buddhas of
prevailing type, a group consisting of male fig. advancing L.
followed by two attendants, one of whom holds over him large umbrella. All are in Chinese secular costume, long belted
coats, high boots, and sq. cap (?). Coats light blue and
cinnamon ; boots and outlines of faces purple ; nose, eyebrows, hair, and caps dark blue ; umbrella purple and dark red. Below, another group with larger fig. advancing R., followed by three attendants, one again with umbrella. Before
him grows purple and white lotus bud on curling stem.
Larger fig. wears light blue stole, and has no halo. Behind him three heavy folds of drapery (?), worked in straight rows
of chain-stitch couched with buff silk in pattern of twining lines, fall stiffly to ground. Lower part of an exactly similar scene appears also on upper edge of panel.
Colouring of whole deep and mellow ; work very solid and carefully executed. General outline of haloed Buddhas,
internal lines defining folds of drapery, sticks of umbrellas in side-scenes, etc., are still worked in dark brown in places ; but perhaps this was only the orig. guiding line for embroiderer in his filling-in work. In most places narrow line-space left, perhaps for couched strips of gold paper later removed.
Irregular joining of strips, both vertically and horizontally, and the insertion of figs. already partially destroyed in antiquity prove extant hanging to be patchwork made up from an earlier embroidery; cf. above, p. 896.
z' 8°x 2' I". Pl. CV.
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