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   985

like those of Ch. oo86 (PI. CXVII). The band was orig. lined with plain silk, pink and green, of which frs. only remain, but which prob. was continued to form short curtain below.

The vigorous movement of the deer is characteristically Chinese ; in this, as well as in quatrefoils upon their bodies, they recall the galloping deer of an important brocade in the Shösôin, and similar but winged deer on a painted cloth in the same collection (see Shôsôin Calalogue, ii. Pls. 98 and 121). The quatrefoils recall ornamental rosettes on shoulder and haunch of ' Sassanian ' beasts. For relation of design to others suggesting ' Sassanian ' influence, see above, p. 906 ; also Ch. 00291, 00304. a—b. Length c. 26', depth I' 7". Pls. CIX and (reconstruction of deer design) CXIX.

Ch. 00279. Silk altar valance, like preceding but apparently complete, with silk curtain behind streamers preserved.

Main length of band made of dark crimson plain silk, with short sections at ends of plain white and dark greenish-blue silk. At L. end also section of fine dull pink damask woven with lines of quatrefoil and lozenge-shaped rosettes in twill. Suspension loops of figured silks are sewn along top; band lined with grey or green silk, to which is sewn curtain referred to above. This is also made of sections of various coloured silks, 1o" to 12" wide, and comprising from L. to R. : fine gamboge damask, woven in lozenge lattice-work with spots in middle of lozenges, ground plain, pattern twill, much worn ; plain white, yellow-ochre, lemon, pale sea-green, and maize silk ; gamboge damask (repeated) ; plain leaf-green and sage-green silk. The white, maize, and sage-green silks very fine ; others of coarser and less regular weave.

No definite scheme of shape or colour followed in arrangement of tabs and streamers, but a rich effect produced by contrast of varied hues of plain silks and of gay-coloured frs. of figured silks and embroideries. Tabs are set into band in close row, sometimes overlapping three deep, and forming a continuous series of points. The streamers, set at close but irregular intervals behind them, are sometimes made of single strips of silk or embroidery (either doubled on themselves or lined with contrasting silk, as are also the tabs); sometimes of contrasting silks or gauzes joined lengthways. There are only three of the composite streamers with overlapping points found in Ch. 00278. Some streamers are knotted, and many of them and of the tabs finished off by tassels of roughly cut strips of figured silks or by scraps of silk drawn up into a tiny bag. The latter were prob. makeweights, as they contain only rolled-up ends of same silk. Three or four are finished off in more striking fashion by small human figs. ingeniously made up of silk stuffed with hair or wool. The silk sewn up starfish-wise, and a strip of different silk added as girdle, pulling the fig. into shape. The head is made separately and sewn on, with tuft of frayed silk for hair, and the features in one case sketched with scarlet thread. (For possible significance of figs., see above, p. 900, note 15.)

The fabrics found amongst tabs and streamers comprise :

(I) Plain silks: chocolate, lavender, crimson, plum-colour,

1374

yellow-green, bog-green, white, greenish blue, and a deep royal blue effectively placed upon the maize ; these all of varying degrees of regularity and fineness of weave.

2. Damasks : light green loosely woven, with open lozenge pattern in twill on plain ground; white, of same weave, pattern lozenge lattice-work with spot in middle of lozenge ; dark purple with large pattern of scrolls and bracts woven in pronounced twill on close plain-woven ground ; plum-coloured loosely woven, with a pattern of open lozenge diaper and spot ; plum-coloured glazed, woven in small diaper of concentric lozenges as Ch. 00333 ; fine slate-blue with pattern of rows of hexagonal rosettes separated by lines of chevron bearing trefoils on points ; lemon-yellow much perished, with pattern apparently of small rosette ; and dark blue with lozenge (?) pattern.

3. Figured silks: frs. of dark blue with buff spots, same as Ch. 00432 ; and another with scarlet ground and naturalistic flower and butterfly design in dark and light blue, and green, outlined in white. Only part of design preserved, resembling floral silk of banner-top Ch., i. ooII, and woven with broad untwisted weft on fine warp as Ch. 0076.

4. Printed silks: several pieces printed with pinkish-red background and pattern of green intersecting scrolls.

5. Gauzes : numerous pieces of black, crimson, plum-coloured, and light green woven in lozenge diaper or in twined weaving akin to Ch. 00332, but giving more ribbed effect. These have all been cut from large embroideries of Chinese design, worked in satin-stitch. The black shows claws of large bird in black and white, head and crest (?) of same, leaves, stems, and tendrils in shades of greenish blue, leaf-green, yellow, and salmon-pink ; the crimson, parts of large naturalistic flowers in brilliant blues, green, white, and mauve ; the purple, small lotus and parrot (?) design in shaded reds, blue, and green, the whole outlined with couched thread which must orig. have been covered with gold or silver leaf; very fine work.

Valance as a whole well preserved, though faded. Length 9' 4", depth I' 5". Pl. CX.

Ch. 00280. Part of silk altar valance like Ch. 00278. Band made of green figured silk identical with Ch. 00295, much frayed, backed with soft thick silk of dull purple and plain brown silk. Continuous line of tabs preserved, and three complete streamers, besides topmost pieces of others alternating with tabs and detached remains both of band and streamers, much decayed. One streamer made of plain strip of same silk as band ; others are composite, of ten pointed frs., comprising plain silks in white, lemon, and green ; open-work embroidery fabric in black and purple; and fine damasks in indigo, pale blue, brilliant orange and pink. The pale blue woven with minute lozenge spot (as Ch. 00340) ; the indigo with elongated floral spot (as Ch. 00345); the orange and pink with repeating flower designs not completely recoverable.

The triangular tabs are of two varieties of figured silk : one same as Ch. oo181, the other of like weave, but showing a larger and more simple floral spot in terra-cotta red, yellow, and brown on creamy ground. One tab is a fr. of

6x