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

Sec. ii] LIST OF PAINTINGS, TEXTILES, ETC., FROM CHIEN-FO-TUNG 955

Ch. 0083. Painted silk banner ; all accessories lost ; broken about top and faded, but fig. almost intact.

Subject : Bodhisattva with censer. Stands facing spectator on lotus originally pale blue ; R. hand raised holding censer,

L. also held forward from elbow, palm uppermost and slightly

depressed, fingers open, except third finger, which is bent. Fig. and style of work as in *Ch. 002 ; dress same with slight

differences. Arms are bare to shoulder, and stole takes form

of flat narrow band, hanging in V-shaped curve to knees and thrown in narrow pointed loops over arms. It is vermilion—

still brilliant though colour has otherwise almost disappeared —and brings out skilfully main line of fig.'s pose. Face long, broad, and rather heavy, projecting to chin ; underline of eyes almost straight ; ears slightly elongated and pierced, but without rings. Most of hair and tiara lost.

Fine example of treatment of drapery, but much worn. For replica (reversed) see Ch. i. 005, also Ch. lv. 0026 ; for same pose of hands Ch. 009.

I' Ix 'x6 ".

Ch. 0084. Silk painting representing Ksitigarbha as Patron of Travellers, seated alone with boy donor below. Of

pale green silk broken only at lower end, and with border of

greenish-blue silk complete. For other representations, see under *Ch. 0021. Ksitigarbha is seated cross-legged on red

and white lotus, R. hand holding beggar's staff, L. crystal

ball, flaming, on his knee. Dress, a light green under-robe and mantle, latter bordered with black, and on head traveller's

shawl of Indian red orn. with faint spot pattern in yellow.

Face is round and youthful with mild expression, and like feet and hands coloured flesh-pink all over, and- outlined with red. Broad band of white, forming edge of circular vesica, surrounds whole fig. and lifts it out of green background

with which it would otherwise blend too closely. Inner part of vesica and halo orn. with usual conventional ray and flower-petal pattern in green and red, with flame border, which like outer border is painted white ; red and green flower sprays fill corners of the background.

Of boy donor only upper half remains, kneeling in L. bottom corner, bareheaded, with lotus flower between joined

hands. He wears a loose-sleeved red coat, sprinkled with

circular flower or wheel pattern in yellow and black ; hair done like that of little boy attendants or donors in Ch. 00224 ;

xlvi. oo8, 0013. Rest of bottom of painting empty, except for red flowers on tall stems on either side of boy and blank inscription cartouche in front.

Drawing throughout of comparative delicacy, but great charm of picture lies in quiet and simplicity of its composition and colouring. I' IO" X 3 '. PI. LXX ; Thousand B., Pl. XL.

Ch. 0085. Painted silk banner ; all accessories lost, painting incomplete top and bottom and somewhat cracked, but otherwise well preserved and colour fresh.

Subject : Vaiiravana, Guardian of the North. Stands facing spectator on demon of which only head and shoulder remain ; L. hip thrown out and R. knee bent. R. arm is curved stiffly out and hand low, grasping stem of two-headed pike, which rises above head ; L. arm is raised from elbow,

a cloud of smoke rising from the hand and carrying miniature hexagonal shrine with pagoda roof, containing seated Buddha.

In pose and dress , the fig. follows type of ' Indian ' Lokapalas, Ch. xxvi. a. oo6, etc. (see also General Note, *Ch. oo t o) ; but it is on larger scale, and drawing lighter and cleaner in line. Colouring very bright and variegated ; but owing to the stiff and composite nature of the dress it is cut up into a number of bands and compartments, and produces patchy effect. In detail the dress shows certain variations from ordinary type.

Coat of mail has oblong scales painted white and blue on skirts and shoulder ; blue end at top. Hence if blue is intended to represent shadow, the scales overlap downwards.

On body the scales are round-edged, and painted in yellow and red. Border of skirt round thigh and up front is

painted solid blue without usual green pleated edge. Corslet

is of green spotted with yellow, but most of it is covered by a blue breastplate, shaped like a deep yoke, which passes over

shoulders, and which along with corslet is held there by

buckled straps, coming from the discs over breasts. Flaps over hips are vermilion edged with purple, and their upper

edge is girt by hip-belt and stands up stiffly above it. The apron is small and sq. and made of scale-armour, round-edged and within green border.

Skirt is vermilion with bright blue border ; red rosette amongst green leaves is painted on knees of white breeches.

Greaves are of scale-armour, scales being round-edged, white,

and edged with vermilion, and have a band of plain leather down front and round ankle. Shoes are black orn. with

gold. Arm-guards painted in stripes of white and vermilion

running round arm. Stole of chocolate and blue (the blue mostly lost) hangs across back from elbow, and to ground.

Short white draperies also hang at back of, shoulders as in Indian' Bodhisattvas, *Ch. lv. 0014, etc. No sleeves are visible, and there is no collar, so the neck is exposed.

Tiara is a fillet of red drapery orn. with scarlet lotus buds, and large gold orns. over forehead and ears. Hair is black,

in a top-knot above and falling behind shoulders. Face large

and heavy, with square jaws, wide mouth firmly shut, and grotesque eyes placed obliquely. Halo green, with flame

border. From pike flaps a pennon, painted in diaper of orange hexagons spotted with green, and with black and white vandyked border. Pike has lance-head with secondary curved and barbed spike at side, as customary in these paintings ; see Ch. 0(318.

I' 5rx7k".

Ch. oo86. Large triangular headpiece to silk painting, of cream silk damask, doubled. Damask woven in large pattern of elliptical and lozenge-shaped 'spots', distantly recalling the ' Sassanian ' type in general set-out. The elliptical groups measure c. t' 9" x t' 6 , and consist of inner and outer wreath of boldly looped and interlacing bands with trumpet-mouthed ends. In inner ' corners ' of ellipse large rosette-ornamented ellipses ; in centre of inner wreath, and at four cardinal points of outer, are orns. of mixed geometrical and floral character. These consist of a lozenge surrounded by trilobate half-flowers; in outer wreath they

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