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

behind the hair. One end of the crown-like mukuta is visible above the ear. The

nimbus was probably green, surrounded by red and buff, with red contour lines.

Broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, the Bodhisattva wears a tight-fitting tunic

with half-sleeves finished at the elbows with large, shaded red and yellow petal-

like frills. The elegant hands, gracefully posed, have long tapering fingers and,

surprisingly, short nails. The lower part of the painting is badly damaged; but

round the waist can be seen an elaborate white frill, shaded with grey, and two

strings of pearls hanging from the waist. It is not necessary to describe in detail

the rich jewels, nor the clever draping of the white and green stole all clearly

shown in the reproduction. Behind the figure, to the left, just below the elbow, is

the end of a rectangular shelf, in perspective. To the left of that, the abraded back-

ground is covered with a mass of closely packed many-petalled rosettes in bold

red outline, very faintly visible. To the extreme right, on the background, now

grey-buff, is a well-drawn pink peony with green leaves; and below, two more

green leaves with pink buds at their bases.

All outlines, black or red, are thin and firmly drawn. Such details as the drawing

of the bangles on the left wrist, the petal-like frills at the elbows, and the sweeping

lines of the bow behind the ear show the proficiency of the artist in drawing and

in the handling of the brush. Much abraded and faded in parts, and discoloured by

liquid mud that had run down the wall, it still presents a very beautiful example

of the mural painter's art.

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