国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

THE dome from which these portions were removed roofed a small cella,
measuring about ten feet by eleven. Although much is missing, fallen
away in antiquity, there remains sufficient to show the extremely graceful
scheme of decoration, recalling irresistibly that of certain late fifth-century
Byzantine mosaics at Ravenna; and in the curling leafy growths springing from the
scrolling stems can be recognized forms commonly found in foliate 'Transitional'
and Early English Gothic carving.

Toy. VI. 0272

The central medallion, badly damaged, contains a haloed deity seated on a pad-
māsana placed on the back of an unrecognizable animal, against a background of
radiating lines. The animal, with legs outstretched fore and aft, resembles, in some
respects, an elephant; but the lift of the head is more like that of a goat and is
certainly not elephantine.
The scrolling stems arrange themselves gracefully in two concentric registers,
or zones, round the central medallion; and within each volute, one, or sometimes
two figures, are seated. The stems originate from behind a third, and outer, zone
of figures, mostly missing, seated against radiant haloes. It seems probable that
the figure in the central medallion represents the deity of the Sun or the Moon and
that the surrounding figures are those of celestial attendants, of which the name of
one—Rohiṇī—written in Brāhmī characters has been made out among the several
short inscriptions. This would indicate that the central figure is the divinity of the
Moon.
The lower part of the dome has suffered most destruction; and smoke from the
fires of casual infidel tenants of the cella in later times has contributed to the
deterioration of the original colouring. The stems are now a dull red-brown, out-
lined with red and with an added white line on one side and probably yellow on
the other. The leaves and bracts are similarly outlined, and here and there can still
be traced, within the outlines, grey, red, red-brown, and possibly blue and green.
The very graceful and delightful little attendant figures, each seated on a lotus
growing from the end of the encircling scroll, are slim, square-shouldered, and

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