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

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

Head-piece of plain cream silk gauze, bound with glazed silk of pale pink ; suspension loop of completely frayed silk brocade on which is strung a bronze ring ; whole roughly sewn together and evidently hasty substitute for the orig. top. Side streamers are of pale grey, and four bottom streamers of greyish-blue silk orn. with leaf and insect motifs in black paste. Weighting-board (detached) is painted dark red, with lotus and leaf design in green, black, and yellow.

Subject : Viripàksa, Guardian of the Wes/ ; identified from remains of Chinese inscr. A replica of *Ch. 0035 and xx. 0011 ; with slight variation of colour only from *Ch. 0035. All lost above Lokapâla's mouth ; lower end here complete shows shoes which are of woven string (see *Ch. ooro, General No1e), and half-squatting, half-crouching demon who supports his feet on R. hand and L. knee. Inscr. on lower end of cartouche in upper L. corner.

Painting I' 5' x 6", length of whole 6' 3".

Ch. 0023. Painted silk banner ; complete except for weighting-board and upper end of painting, and in fair condition. Head-piece of buff silk gauze, painted in floral design but now in fragments, mounted on plain blue silk and bound with light red damask inwoven with lozenge pattern as Ch. 00340. Suspension loop of pink silk and streamers of olive-green, the silk streamers orn. with leaf patterns in black. (Painting has been reattached to head-piece in mounting.)

Subject : Mari on white lion ; the whole to L. For other examples, see Ch. 0036. M. sits cross-legged on pink lotus ; R. hand open on knee with thumb pointing up ; L. raised, open, with second and third fingers bent. Head slightly raised and eyes looking up under heavy lids.

Bodhisattva of type *Ch. 002 in dress and features ; but jewellery simple. Lion same in attitude, type, and trappings as in Ch. 0036 ; with green mane, slate-blue eyebrows, beard, and tail, and pink shading on breast and jaw. M.'s dress is slate-blue, crimson, and olive ; lotuses under lion's feet crimson and green. Remains of dark pink cloud in Chinese style, at top ; and blank cartouche for inscr. to L. of head. Workmanship skilled but lifeless.

Painting I' 8' X 7 ', length of whole 5' 4'.

Ch. 0024. Silk banner, retaining all accessories except side streamers, and in fair condition.

Head-piece of plain silk, doubled ; each side painted with roughly triangular floral design, showing elliptical open flower, blue, six-petalled, with green and red centre, surrounded by green leaves veined with black, the whole on a crimson background. Converging sides bordered with plain greyish-blue silk, and suspension loop at apex of printed silk with floral pattern in light yellow, green, and blue. Bottom of head-piece held between two cane stiffeners, ends of which pass into binding upon each side. The exposed length wound round with raw white silk and bound with bands of silk, dark purple, yellow, green, and red, crossing each other diagonally.

Four bottom streamers (one incomplete) are of dark olive silk gauze, woven in same lozenge diaper as in Ch. 00344,

and stamped with bird, flower, and insect motifs as in Ch. xvii. 001. Weighting-board consists of layers of coarse woollen material, dark brown and natural-coloured, glued together and covered with light red gauze similar to that of streamers ; then lacquered dark red on each side, but lacquer now mostly lost. It is attached to stiffener of streamers by three loops of red silk thread, sewn along top ; edges of holes strengthened with strips of bronze foil.

Banner proper made of dull red silk damask woven with small conventional floral pattern like Ch. 00345, in bands 3" apart ; and orn. with naturalistic design of two flying ducks, carrying trailing sprays of water-plants in their bills. Drawing, somewhat rude, in black ink, touched up with same white or silver (?) paint as used on banner streamers, now gone whitish grey. Band of scroll pattern below.

Banner proper r' 5" x 5", length of whole 3' I I".

Ch. 0025. Painted silk banner of pale grey gauze covered with fine coat of silvery white paint or glaze. This has apparently prevented tracing from passing to back of silk ; for while the banner is painted on both sides, the outlines (except for eye) appear only on one. Upper part showing canopy has cracked, and over it has been pasted fr. from edge of another silk painting.

All accessories complete and in good condition. Headpiece of cream silk gauze, unlined, and with binding of pale pink silk hastily sewn together, evidently a substitute for properly finished original. Side streamers of green silk ; bottom streamers of grey silk stamped with running scroll of stem and leaves in blackish-grey paste ; weighting-board painted dark red with flower and leaf design outlined in grey.

Subject : Bodhisattva, carrying mottled glass jar on which rests scarlet lotus. Attitude unusual, fig. walking from spectator, to whom it presents â back view (to L.); head turned back over R. shoulder ; R. hand raised carrying jar, and L. by side gathering up fold of robe. Fig. and accessories generally of type *Ch. 002 ; dress same as seen from back. A bow of drapery coming from in front is tied at nape of neck, and falls in long ends behind ; jewelled chains gather up skirt in a sort of panier. Hair done in rounded mass at corner of head, and swings in two locks over R. and L. shoulder, leaving back clear.

Face curiously treated, outline drawn by forehead, cheeks, and upper lip ; nose added as an excrescence, and mouth and very small chin awkwardly joined on below. The whole of the eye (curved and very oblique) is seen. Hands and L. foot, coming out below robe, also appear out of joint, owing to difficulties with perspective. Workmanship highly finished ; colouring, like pose, unusual, consisting of yellow shaded with red (on skirt), but otherwise entirely of cool dull greens, putty-colour, and white. Halo, a disc of greyish white hardly standing out from background. No blue.

Painting I' Ion" x 7", length of whole 5' 8". Pl. LXXVII.

Ch. 0026. Strip of figured silk from back of Buddhist devotional hand-book, Chinese, printed A. D. 949. Weave firm satin twill similar to Ch. 009, but somewhat finer ; warp sized. Ground burnt orange ; pattern dark