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

PLATE X

PAINTED DOME FROM TOYUK, SHRINE VI

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-

másana 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 Rohini—written in Bráhmi 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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