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 1085

Fig. is stiff, and colouring dark and heavy, but well preserved.

Painting I' I o" x 7r, length with head-piece 2' 74'.

Ch. lxi. 002. Two frs. of painted silk banner, in themselves almost intact, and in fair condition ; both ends of painting lost.

Subject : Scenes from Life of Buddha; Chinese in style ; parts of three preserved, two almost complete.

Scene I. Farewell of Chandaka and KaOhaka. To L. on open ground Prince sits upon rock, and before him kneel Ch. and K. Prince and groom raise their sleeves to their eyes, their faces expressing deepest dejection ; the horse kneels on its fore-knees, laying its head to ground.

Scene 2. Departure of Chandaka. Lower half of scene lost. There remains to L. Prince seated upon ledge of steep rock, to R. grassy slopes on which grow pink-flowering trees, pear or peach. At bottom are just visible heads of Ch. and K. moving away. Prince's gaze is fixed on distance, his R. hand raised in salute, a look of horror on his face. On rev. both his hands are muffled in his sleeves.

Scene 3. Pursuit of Suddhodhana's Messengers. A very expressive scene showing group of five horsemen, half hidden behind slope of hill and plunging behind another to L. They ride close together, bending forward and turning their heads towards each other. The horses' tails tied up in knots, and tails of riders' caps fly in breeze. They wear long coats, resp. of yellow, terra-cotta, green, blue, and crimson ; horses are dappled white and roan. On foreground of hill grows graceful weeping-willow, which fills L. side of scene, flowering shrubs and large-leaved ground plants. Composition of scene is admirable ; drawing spirited and life-like, concentration and movement of the horsemen vividly expressed.

Treatment of scenes (I) and (2) is not so striking, and drawing more faulty, e. g. Kanthaka's pose and proportions ; but the attitudes of human actors are expressive. Prince wears wide-sleeved black jacket lined with white, and pink under-robe ; Chandaka pink jacket and high sq. black cap. Prince's hair is dressed in stiff four-pronged form seen also in Ch. xlvi. 004 and lv. 00I I, 0012. The riders' coats and black-tailed caps are of usual kind descr. in Ch. xx. oo8, etc.; Kanthaka is as usual white with red mane and tail. Parts of two cartouches (yellow, blank) for inscr. appear on each edge in each fr.

For representations of the same scenes, cf. Ch. xx. oo8 ; xxvi. a. 003 ; xlvi. 004, 007 ; lv. 0012 ; and especially Ch. 0071.

Upper fr. 7i" x 71" ; lower, 5i" x 7i". Scene (3) Pl. LXXVI.

Ch. lxi. 004. Painted silk banner with Chin. inscr. Considerably broken and all accessories lost, but silk clean and colours fresh.

Subject : Ksiligarbha as monk. Same as *Ch. i. 003 in pose, dress, accessories, physical type, and style of workmanship. But long-necked round-bodied flask hangs from fingers of R. hand ; down on shaven head, upper lip, and chin is

painted blue ; inside of ears, hands, and lower lines of feet are painted red. There are no ear-rings ; mantle edge drawn over R. shoulder. Mantle left natural grey of silk, barred with black and mottled with patches of scarlet, green, and blue ; under-robe light green with purple border ; lining of both robes scarlet. Inscr. naming K. as Ti-lsang is on cartouche to L. of head.

2'0"X6*".

Ch. lxi. 006. Painted silk banner, considerably faded and broken. Four bottom streamers with weighting-board preserved, all other accessories and upper end of painting lost. Streamers of fine greenish-grey silk gauze, the ground woven in minute open-work pattern, with repeating ' diamond spot ' in closer weave—the spot consisting of various lozenge-shaped forms set angle to angle. Weighting-board painted dark red with rows of circular black flowers outlined yellow.

Subject : Dharmapâla Vajrapdni, of Chinese grotesque type as in Ch. 004, etc. In attitude, drapery, etc., practically identical with Ch. 004, but face different, with lipless mouth close shut, and short tusk projecting at corner. Dhôti scarlet, border and stole dark olive and grey ; jewels light green and red ; lotuses under foot, scarlet and pale grey-blue ; halo grey with creeping flame border. Modelling shown as in Ch. xxvi. a. 005., but paint much faded.

Painting i' 8" x 68", length with streamers 5' 3'.

Ch. lxi. 007. Painted silk banner ; all accessories lost; edges of painting broken, but fig. almost intact.

Subject : Bodhisattva. Stands * L. on light blue lotus, hands crossed one over another and hanging low before body ; thumb and first finger of each apparently joined. For others in same pose, see Ch. 003 ; iii. oor ; xl. 004. Fig. and painting of type *Ch. 002. Stole has slipped off shoulders, and fig. bare to girdle except for jewellery. Face has serious expression ; mouth large and full; eyes long and slanting with grey irises looking up under downcast lids ; ears almost normal and not pierced. Colouring well preserved; chiefly light blue and green of rather thin tone, and dark, rather muddy, pink, with small amount of crimson and purple. Drawing rough, or defective, in places. Yellow cartouche for inscr., to L. of face, blank. I' 9i" x 64".

Ch. lxi. oog. Silk painting representing Ksitigarbha as Patron of Travellers, Regent of Hell, and Lord of the Six Gati, with attendants and donors. Of indigo blue silk, much broken, and on all edges incomplete ; colour however well preserved. For other representations, see under *Ch. 0021.

Ks. sits on vermilion lotus, L. leg pendent resting on small lotus, R. bent across. R. hand holds beggar's staff; L. raised and held outwards empty, palm uppermost, second and third fingers bent up. Dress : gamboge under-robe with

vermilion border, and mantle of mottled indigo, yellow, and vermilion with maroon border, while traveller's shawl of

maroon, sprinkled like robe borders with gilded diamonds, drapes head and shoulders. Face and breast gilded, but hands, arms, and feet painted light red.