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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

1036 CAVE-TEMPLES & ANTIQUES OF THE THOUSAND BUDDHAS [Ch. XXV

Eleven-headed and Six-armed Avalokilesvara. (Kuan-yin), seated, without attendants. Border lost and edges incomplete all round, but colouring well preserved and unusually bright and varied.

Avalok. sits on Padmâsana with legs interlocked, upper hands, L. and R., holding up discs of sun and moon. Former contains three-legged bird ; lauer, tree of•immortality thickly painted in black, and two abbreviated symbols evidently representing hare and frog. Middle hands in vrtarka-mudrâ on either side of breast, lower hands stretched outwards over knees, palms uppermost and thumbs and first fingers joined. Eleven heads treated as in *Ch. o0roz, two in profile being resp. yellowish green and blue-grey, and Dhyâni-buddha's yellow with pink cheeks. Other heads and rest of fig. pink shaded with glowing orange.

Background sprinkled with scarlet and white lotuses amidst groups of leaves ; in L. upper corner oblong yellow panel showing faint traces of inscr. now illegible. Drawing rough but bold ; chief interest of picture lies in colouring. This consists mainly of glowing orange on flesh, skirt, and scarf across breast ; of deep indigo blue and strong copper-green on stole, which winds in wide flat curves from arm to arm ; of clear pale yellow on ear-rings, bracelets, and massive necklace and armlets ; and of dense black on hair, eyes, eyebrows, and all outlines of fig. and accessories. All these colours found combined with Indian red and lighter blue in canopy, vesica, halo, and Padmâsana, against brownish background.

I'7'XI'3'.

Ch. xxviii. 005. Fr. of paper painting showing part of simplified Mandala, prob. of Amiliibha. R. side of Buddha preserved with hand holding alms-bowl, but head lost. Beside him stands Avalokiteivara, holding willow branch over R. shoulder, and excessively badly drawn ; dress, jewels, and coiffure those of an ' Indian ' Bodhisattva. Round L. upper corner runs orig. border orn. with Chin. double angular wave-pattern in black. This is broken at bottom on L. by fig. of woman donor, kneeling with hands in adoration (uncoloured). Colouring red, grey, black, and (the Buddha's flesh) gamboge. Work careless besides being crude ; e. g. Avalok.'s R. foot is painted as if a L. foot and with only four toes. I' 4 ' X

Ch. xxviii. 006. Large silk painting with Chin. inscr., representing Thousand-armed Avalokilesvara with attendant divinities. Complete except along bottom ; painted border of flower sprays—peony, mallow (?), and lotus—on red ground, but no sewn border ; in excellent condition, and colour exceptionally fresh.

General design and treatment of central fig. same as in *Ch. 00223, etc. Pale whitish disc here encloses Avalok. and his halo. Background divided into upper and lower haloes ; the upper a thin light blue now almost gone, leaving predominant light greenish grey of silk ; the lower a deep-toned gentian-blue. Former representing sky is sprinkled with small gilded stars and falling blossoms of double lotus and mallow ; latter represents tiled floor, and is divided by narrow gilded lines into squares filled with conventional gilt star-shaped designs.

On this decorative background are placed at intervals the few attendant figs.:

(i, ii) On piled-up clouds in R. and L. top corners resp., Bodhisalivas of Sun and Moon. They sit with their arms spread out from elbows, lotus buds drooping from their hands ; their discs as usual bordered with flame-colour and white. But horse ' Vâhana' here assigned to deity of flame-coloured border, and geese to deity of white.

(iii, iv) On tiled floor kneel on lotuses, R. and L. resp., Sage with hand at head in salutation, and Goddess of Virlue with her dish of flowers. Latter's dress slightly different from that which she wears in other paintings of series. It consists of flower-spotted skirt of vermilion and blue, draped like Bodhisattva's from the hips, and perfectly plain tight-fitting bodice of pink with blue elbow frills and crimson under-sleeves. Her hair also done in plain high top-knot towards back of her head.

(v, vi) Thigh-deep in tank stand two armour-clad Migas (with no snake emblems) holding up Avalok.'s disc.

(vii, viii) In bottom corners stride Fire-headed Vajrapa.cis, red and blue, with their customary emblems, against background of flame. A small elephant-headed demon kneels before one, and boar-headed demon before other.

Avalok. himself is single-headed ; flesh dull yellowish pink ; hair light blue ; halo of hands a pinker flesh-colour. Among most noteworthy of his emblems are Moon's disc showing well legendary Tree, Frog, and Hare with mortar, and Gorgon-faced shield in one of L. hands. But good examples of almost all may be seen in this picture owing to its excellent finish and preservation. Nimbus round his head has appearance of radiating spears ; it is in form of superimposed series of pointed rays which are brilliantly coloured in luminous light gentian-blue and copper-green, supplemented by two shades of pink. Same striking colours are used for variegated petals of the Padmâsana. Outlines of latter, as well as jewellery of all figs., altar vessels, and folds of Avalok.'s pink robe, are gilded.

There are three inscriptions only, one before Sage, one before blue Vajrapani, and one added on margin of Avalok.'s disc, containing only epithets descriptive of deities. Other cartouches blank.

Workmanship is refined, and detail highly finished throughout. Ornament is almost excessive, rosette or scroll patterns covering even inner walls of tank, with emaciated

Sage clad in flower-spotted dhôli and full set of gilded jewellery. Painting consequently makes little appeal to

imagination, but with its gay colouring and background of flowers and stars, it takes a high place as 'a piece of decoration and of perfectly mastered technique.

Naturalistic flowery border, and spacing of figs. so as to give more value to background, suggest that it may, perhaps, be of later date than rest of the *Ch. 00223 series. 5' 6'X 3' Ion'. Pl. LXIV ; Thousand Buddhas, Pl. XLII.

Ch. xxviii. 007. Tattered remains of tracing on silk damask, with Chin. inscr., showing life-size Bodhisaliva, standing facing spectator. Dress and coiffure in Indian ' style of Ch. Iv. 0032 ; R. hand and arm, and whole