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

Toy. IV. vii. ceiling

THESE are from the ceiling and upper part of the side walls of a small
corridor or lobby.
The ceiling design consists of a boldly designed lotus surrounded by
white pearls, and sacred emblems in the four corner spandrels. Along the edges of
the ceiling next to the walls is a simple, grey border band, obliquely hatched with
black, giving a sort of cable effect. The colour of the lotus petals, now dark red-
brown, was probably originally pink; and the large light circular patch at the base
of each petal, now rather abruptly shaded off at its edges, would have blended
better with the original pink. The curl over of one edge of each petal is common in
Roman rosettes. Stamens, indistinct here, are indicated by looping curves of white
dots on thin supporting lines radiating from the centre.
The four corners are occupied by flaming jewels (ratna), of a form frequently
used—square prism drawn in a sort of perspective with the visible ends divided
into four parts by cross-lines. The leaf-shape flames, issuing from various parts
of the jewel, vary in their treatment.
Each of the opposite walls adjoining the ceiling has two vertical divisions, the
dividing band bearing a Chinese inscription. One of the divisions on each wall
shows part of the head of a figure, with nimbus, probably a Bodhisattva or perhaps
a teacher. The features are drawn with a scratchy line and of a type similar to
those of Kao. II. 02, plate xi. His hair is grey and he is seated under a tree
represented by a black mass with shaded brown-pink and grey flowers painted
on it.
The other divisions have, on one wall, a vertical oblong frame bordered with
white pearls on a grey-black ground and surrounded by conventional pink flames.
Dark lines divide the oblong into squares, tinted alternately pale buff and grey.
On the other wall the second division is occupied by successive rows of three
flaming jewels. Continuous undulating spiral bands, with serrated, leaf-like
edges, are used as borders. There is a close resemblance in the acanthus-like
borders, more particularly in the two bands adjoining the 'cable' borders of the
ceiling, to ornament occurring in late Gothic painted glass and in Western medieval
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