Innermost Asia : vol.1 / Page 177 (Color Image)

0177	Innermost Asia : vol.1

grotesque or comic attitudes (Yo. 0104–123, Pl. II), are particularly frequent. On the other hand
the appearance among the terra-cotta remains of several small Buddha reliefs and fragments
(Yo. 0133–6, Pl. II) is unusual. Whether the fragments of five votive plaques showing Buddha
seated (Yo. 0137, Pl. III) were really brought from Yōtkan seems very doubtful in view of the
softness of the material and the similarity of their design with those found at Mazār-tāgh.³

Turning to miscellaneous acquisitions from Khotan I may note that those marked Kh. were
obtained during my stay at Khotan, while the larger collection marked Badr. was made subse-
quently by Badruddin Khān and delivered to me in June, 1915, at Kāshgar. In the case of the
former it may be safely assumed that while most of the terra-cottas and other ceramic remains
come from Yōtkan, the majority of the other objects, including all those in wood, plaster, and other
materials liable to destruction by moisture, were picked up on ancient wind-eroded sites beyond
the Khotan oasis, as alleged by the men who brought them, all known to me from my former visits
as regular searchers of such 'Tati' areas. Special mention may be made of the seals in metal,
stone, and glass (Kh. 03, 04, 06–7, 019, 023–4, Pl. X) ; of the Buddha reliefs in soapstone (Kh.
020–1, Pl. X) ; and among the numerous beads of those in paste and agate (Kh. 028, 031, 074, Pl.
X), which show a peculiar decorative technique. Some of the glass beads, too (Kh. 032, 034, &c.),
present interest by their treatment. Mr. K. Moldovack, an Armenian gentleman settled at Khotan,
kindly added to this miscellaneous collection some metal seals, coins, and a colossal stucco head
of Buddha (Kh. 0267, Pl. VIII) probably brought from some site like that of Ak-terek.⁴ For this
valuable gift I am glad to record here my grateful acknowledgement.

The large and varied collection of Khotan antiques brought by Badruddin Khān in 1915
comprises some series of which he had noted the alleged provenance. But since none of these show
any distinctive character and since, having received them at Kāshgar, I was unable to test other-
wise the correctness of that record, a brief indication below of the different places of alleged origin
will suffice.⁵ Among the numerous terra-cotta remains, the face-mask (Badr. 029, Pl. V), the relief
with two well-modelled dancing figures (Badr. 033, Pl. II), and the pottery fragment with a fine
Byzantine-looking vine-leaf scroll (Badr. 0303, Pl. V), deserve special mention ; similarly, among
stuccoes, the relief fragments of heads (Badr. 0283–7, Pl. III, V, XI), and the Buddha plaques (Badr.
0288–98, 0381, Pl. III). The miscellaneous stucco relief fragments (Badr. 042–68, Pl. V, X), by their
style and burnt condition closely recall my Ak-terek finds of 1906.⁶ Stucco representations of
Gandharvīs in different attitudes (Badr. 0340, 0348, &c., Pl. XI) are frequent. Small metal objects
of interest are the bronze spoon and handle (Badr. 0112–14, Pl. X) ; the miniature bronze pick-axes
(Badr. 0115–16, Pl. X), perhaps for ceremonial use ; the bronze seals (Badr. 0192–5, Pl. X ; 0411) ;
the miniature wine-jug (Badr. 0420) of classical shape. The carved wooden finial or halo (Badr.
0203), reported as from Toghrak-mazār, may well belong to the site of that name briefly de-
scribed farther on. [For the important collection of antiques acquired from Badruddīn Khān
by Mr. C. Hardinge, late Vice-Consul at Kāshgar, and generously presented by him to the
Museum of Central-Asian Antiquities, New Delhi, in 1923, see Appendix M.]

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

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

Citation Information

OCR Text

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