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

and almost level, but with a finely recurved line added to the eyelids. The flesh is white
shaded with red.

Over a long orange skirt, draped in conventional folds, the Bodhisattva wears a short
and tight over-skirt of Indian red, sprinkled with blue and white rosettes. Over it is
festooned a narrow cord-like band hanging in loops and streamers by the sides. The
costume is completed by an olive-green girdle, a red scarf across the breast, and a narrow
stole of dark chocolate colour descending from about the arms to the feet. The richly
jewelled ornaments agree in general type with those seen on the four 'Indian' Bodhisattvas
of Plate XVI, but the Dhyāni-buddha is absent from the tiara. The slate-blue outer border
of the nimbus is ornamented with a ring of 'enclosed palmettes' in blue and white, as
often seen elsewhere in Bodhisattva haloes.

PLATE XXII

TWO AVALOKITEŚVARA PAINTINGS WITH DONORS

In both the silk paintings which this Plate reproduces on the scale of three-sevenths,
we see Avalokiteśvara represented in 'Indian' style and beside or below him the donors.
In the picture on the left (Ch. liv. 006) the figure of the standing Bodhisattva is treated
on very formal lines, typical of the 'Indian' style already repeatedly mentioned, and the
colouring in bright crude tints solidly laid on is equally characteristic. Apart from the hieratic
stiffness of the whole figure and pose it will suffice to call attention to such peculiar features
as the narrow band descending from the head-dress to the knees and festooned in front
of the body, and the loose locks of hair which hang over the shoulders. The hair is painted
ultramarine, the flesh white and shaded with vermilion. The eyebrows raised dispropor-
tionately high over the almost straight eyes are, as often elsewhere, shown green. Avalo-
kiteśvara stands on a large scarlet and white lotus which floats on a lake or stream. Behind
him on green land is shown a row of tall bamboos filling the background.

To the left of the Bodhisattva appears standing the figure of the nun whom one of
the Chinese inscriptions names as the donatrix, with a date corresponding to A.D. 910.⁴⁵
She wears a wide-sleeved yellow under-robe with flowered band across her breast and
a purplish-brown mantle. Her close-cropped hair is shown in ultramarine, and her hands
carry a censer. Opposite to her stands a boy offering a scarlet lotus on a dish ; he wears
a long-skirted dark brown coat slit at the side and showing wide white trousers underneath.
M. Petrucci recognizes in him the nun's defunct younger brother, whom the dedicatory
inscription associates with her votive gift.

The picture on the right (Ch. xl. 008) is in perfect condition and represents Avalo-
kiteśvara, six-armed and seated, together with side scenes and donors. His upper hands
hold up discs emblematic of the Sun and Moon, showing a three-legged bird and a tree
respectively ; the middle hands are raised on either side of the breast in the vitarka-mudrā,
while the lower hands with rosary and flask rest on the knees. In front of him is placed
a small draped altar with flasks and a covered dish. The Bodhisattva's figure, within the
limitations imposed by the conventional treatment, is very carefully drawn and the colouring
well preserved and unusual. It consists mainly of terra-cotta red on the garments (excepting
the stole, which is very dark brownish olive), and of white shaded with light pink on the
flesh. A harsh yellow is used for the jewellery, while the ground throughout is left in the
dark greenish-brown of the silk.

Down the sides are shown, in animated and expressive drawing of purely Chinese
style, scenes representing Calamities from which Avalokiteśvara miraculously saves his