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

gathered below the knees into close-fitting jambes or leg guards trimmed round the ankles, with spreading, green frills, like those at the elbows, partly covering

very elaborately worked shoes. In front of the body, at the midriff, is a rosette,

held in place by four radiating bands, one down the centre from gorget to waist,

one from the rosette to each shoulder, and one encircling the waist. A narrow, loose

belt, which seems to reach only to the sides of the hips, where its ends are attached

by large bows to stole-like drapery, hangs in front of the stomach, supporting a

lunette formed of petal-shaped plates above, and a small apron or sporran below.

From the shoulders hangs a mantle, its upper corners brought round to the front

of the neck and tied. Ornaments comprise mukuta, ear-rings, armlets, bracelets,

garters, and anklets. The armour is probably largely composed of plates of

lacquered hide, like that of early China.

In the present plate, the lower part of the Vajrapáni is missing. The colouring

is as follows: cloak, red; gorget, green with yellow edges; stomacher, grey; bands

from midriff, red with yellow edges; upper arms, dark red-brown; vambraces,

grey with gold borders and studs, and green jewelled bosses; elbow frills, green;

belt, white; `sporran', red with buff edges and centre and green frill; petal shapes

above belt, red, with white and green bands below; large bow under left arm, dark

red.

Of the next subject, divided from the first by a vertical band of cloud-flower,

only one side is shown. The vesica border is of the cloud-flower type, with a small

naturalistic calyx at the base of each flower. The ground of this border is brick-red,

and the flowers are red with yellow calyx, and a green leaf at the top. The inner

border has a red scroll on a buff ground. On the narrow white outer edge is an

Uigur inscription, in black.

Of the three figures present, the lowest, a devatá, shows only part of the head and

left side, turned towards the vesica. The nimbus is green, surrounded by shaded

red, grey, and yellow. The face of the grey-haired, elderly monk just above is

badly damaged. It has heavy supra-orbital prominences with secondary ridges

above connected at the centre by a short convex line. His nose is rather long and

pointed, the chin deeply cleft, and the masseter muscle emphasized. Chin and

upper lip are darkened with grey. His rather fierce eye, below bushy grey eye-

brows, is pale grey-blue with black pupil; and the white of the eye is shaded with

grey. The gristly neck proclaims the aged ascetic. He wears a red robe with green

border, and raises his left hand in vitarka pose. The type of nose and the blue

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