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

I172

TO HAMI AND TURFAN   [Chap. XXVIII

Green paint and gilding over white. Soft clay mixed with fibre. Ir x

H. B. oo6 (recte v. 008). Fresco fr. On brilliant red ground appears a white globular vase-like object against which is a human foot, outlined red. Drapery of the lower part of a flying fig. (?), and floating ends of scarves, and blue and red beads are scattered about this red background ; but it is too fragmentary to reconstruct. The draperies are freer in treatment than those of H. B. i. 002, but have the shading noted in that example. Colouring very fresh. I z" x 8 ".

H. B. 007. Fresco fr. Much abraded. Seems to represent part of ornamental inlaid pavement arranged in irregular rectilinear shapes, each shape being either red, green, or buff, with a scroll pattern painted in outline in a darker tint. Buff dividing bands run between the ` tiles '. Towards one end is perhaps part of a Padmasana, but fr. too much damaged to determine. Ion"

H. B. oo8. Fresco fr. Dirty buff and white, with black and red lines. Unintelligible. 2" X Ii".

H. B. oog. Fresco fr. On light red ground, part of Buddha (?) head. Flesh buff, all outlines black, hair black and close-cropped. Eyes straight, slightly downcast. Good strong work. I"x I".

H. B. oozo. Stucco fr. Small human finger. Top joint delicately tapered and recurved, and whole finger slightly crooked. Paint pale buff over white slip. Clay mixed with fine fibre. I " x.115%

H. B. i. ooz. Stucco relief fr. of flame (?) orn. Vermilion. Soft clay. I" X

H. B. i. 002. (recte H. B. v. o07). Fresco fr., upper part missing and broken edge burnt. Shows feet and

lower draperies of fig: standing on lotus. Feet in profile

to L., bare, but with heavy upward-curling anklets orn.
with round green jewels. Skirts of drapery reach about

half down lower leg, and have broad border of scroll-work in black outline on dark buff. All the drapery is arranged formally in festoon-like folds, very regular and evenly spaced. Each fold is indicated with a black line, with a faint grey shadow following it from end to end, and over this a pink wash again following the line. General tint of drapery light pink. From the waist girdle hang two bands, evenly twining about each other, with two parallel black lines 8° apart, running along the centre of each. To L. is end of a floating scarf, pink. Bead-jewels, sometimes attached to ornamental bosses, hang from girdle.

Padmâsana has green centre, inner ray of petals, curling upward, grey with lighter edges and black centres ; outer ray, curling outward, light scarlet with yellow edges and maroon centres. General background dark red brown. All outlines black, including flesh, but excepting anklets and ornamental bosses, which are outlined red. The general style of work shows excessive stylization, especially in monotonous treatment of drapery. From north-east

corner of cella H. B. v. (erroneously marked). I' 81" x Pl. XII.

H. B. i. 003. a-c. Three frs. of canvas painting, fine cotton (?), repaired in antiquity with backing of closer dark red fabric. From portion of main fig. preserved on (b) and (c) seems to have been Thousand-armed Avalokitegvara. Top of head seen on (b) with black hair, flowered diadem, and circular nimbus, green, with red and buff border. Flesh pink outlined red ; head to L. On either side are upraised hands, R. holding red disc with black radii, prob. the disc of the Sun ; L. a plain bluish-white disc, that of the Moon. On (c) remains fold of red drapery across breast, and two hands in attitude of adoration. On R. traces of radiating arms and buff background covered with small spiral diaper in fine black lines. Along upper edge of painting (a) and (b) is row of miniature seated Buddhas, black-haired, pink and red robed. Background dark blue. Between the Buddhas are oblong vermilion labels for inscriptions (blank). Below on (a) is part of canopy (?) of fig. adjoining Avalokite§vara, against background of cushion-leaved red-flowering trees common in Ch. paintings (e.g. *Ch. lii. 003). The canopy top is formed of three boss-like jewels, in circular down-turned flower settings, red and maroon, with pearl and conical flame on top. Below at L. on red ground is part of orn., buff outlined red, with blue and green jewels ; and across red ground below is black curving band on which are narrow white petals set side by side.

Much paint lost everywhere. Good fine workmanship. I'2°xI'7".

H. B. ii. 001-2. Stucco relief frs. Pair of feet broken across insteps. Traces of yellow paint on feet and on ground of white and green (lotus throne ?) ; core of stand projects below. Soft clay mixed with straw. 38"x2"X Ira

H. B. ii. oo3. Stucco relief fr. Little finger, curled. Plentiful remains of gilding. Soft clay mixed with fine fibre. End to end 2".

H. B. ii. 004. Stucco relief fr. of hanging drapery. Cf. H. B. ii. oo6 ; end missing. Traces of gilding. Soft clay. 3-'4° X I 8" to

H. B. ii. oos. Stucco relief fr. Zigzag end of hanging drapery. Traces of gilding and of green over gilding. Soft clay mixed with fibre. 2" X Iii".

H. B. ii. 006. Stucco relief fr. End of hanging drapery quite straight with two perpendicular grooves and zigzag ends as H. B. ii. 005. Outer folds, gold ; centre folds, green with gold ; border edges red. Soft clay mixed with fibre. 6" X I é".

H. B. ii. o07. Stucco relief fr. Edge of drapery ; wavelike folds. Traces of gilding. Soft clay mixed with fibre. 3" x 1r.

H. B. ii. 008. Stucco relief fr. Wrist of fig. under life-size; shows bracelet with three rows of beads and