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

freedom of design and delicacy of outline which characterize the fine and well-preserved composi-
tions within the cella itself.

I cannot conclude this account of my renewed pilgrimage to this site, which had yielded so Russian
rich an antiquarian and artistic harvest, without briefly recording the satisfaction I felt, about Academy's
six months later, when far away in Turfān I learned from M. Serge d'Oldenburg of his arrival expedition
at Ch'ien-fo-tung with a competent staff of artists and technical assistants. The purpose of his to Ch'ien-
visit was a thorough study and reproduction of the pictorial and sculptural remains of the shrines, fo-tung.
under the auspices of the (then Imperial) Russian Academy of Sciences. The materials collected
under the direction of that distinguished scholar are certain to be of exceptional value to all students
of Chinese art and Buddhist iconography. May their publication not be too long deferred.

OBJECTS PRESENTED BY WANG TAO-SHIH AS FROM SHRINES OF CH'IEN-FO-TUNG

Ch. 01, 025, 031-3. Clay relief plaques, unbaked.
Seated Buddha figure, eyes closed, hands in lap covered
by under robe ; feet covered. Draped Āsana, pink and
purple with light green border.
Figure is seated in a trefoil niche closely resembling
the Kashmīr trefoil arch, but probably derived from
combination of vesica and nimbus. Upper robe is drawn
over head like a nun's veil, and falls in straight folds on
each side of face to breast.
01. Flesh, pink slightly shaded. Neck purple ; perhaps
original shading darkened to this colour, as the same
colour appears in hollow between nose and eye, and at
dimple at corner of mouth. Upper robe, pink, edged with
real gold and lined purple, covers head and is thrown over
L. shoulder ; under garments purple and emerald green
flounce. Eyebrows, eyelashes and wavy thin moustache
green-black. Background buff with traces of pale green.
Well modelled, but head too large.
025. Flesh discoloured, pink and purple ; moustache
and beard light green ; upper robe light green ; under
robe purple.
031. Flesh discoloured, white, pink and purple. Upper
robe purple (very abraded) edged with gold, and decorated
with groups of three Chinese chars. (?) in green, pink and
blue placed on shoulders, elbows, knees, midway between
knees (feet ?) and stomach. Āsana, green, red and dark
blue. Lower R. corner broken away.
032. As 01, except lining to upper robe, green ; Āsana,
blue, red, green and white.
033. As 032, except lining to upper robe, blue ; under
robe white with green flounce. Whole of niche missing
except small piece on R. and lower L. corner. 11″×6¾″×
1″. Highest relief of figure 1¼″. Pl. XLIX.

Ch. 02-3. Two votive clay relief plaques ; small,
pear-shaped, showing Buddha seated in meditation on
Padmāsana. Stūpas in background, and traces almost
obliterated of Brāhmī chars. Made in mould ; clay
unfired. Fine modelling ; fair condition. Cf. Ch. 04-014
and Ser. iv. Pl. CXXXIX, Wang. 005, 007. H. 2½″, gr.
width 2¼″. Pl. XLIX.

Ch. 04-13. Ten votive clay relief plaques ; like the
preceding, but circular, showing Buddha seated in medita-
tion, with Stūpas and Brāhmī chars. (?) on background.
All prob. made from same mould, except 09, which has
rayed halo border and other differences in details. Clay
unfired. Diam. 1¾″ to 1⅞″. Pl. XLIX.

Ch. 014. Votive clay relief plaque ; small, pear-shaped,
showing seated Buddha in high relief in middle, surface
much worn. Remainder in very low relief consists
only of rayed trefoil halo and vesica, two small Stūpas
by each side of Padmāsana ; scattered Brāhmī chars.
(?) above, and 2 ll. close Brāhmī chars. below Padmāsana.
Mould pear-shaped, but edges of plaque untrimmed.
1⅞″×1⅞″. Pl. XLIX.

Ch. 015, 016, 017. Clay relief plaques. Roughly
modelled. Buddha seated in meditation on Padmāsana.
Robe red ; hair blue. Eyes and eyebrows painted black.
Nimbus pointed, green ; halo blue. Traces of gold on
face of 017. All rather defaced. 7″×4⅜″. Pl. XLIX.

Ch. 018, 019, 021, 029, 030. Clay relief plaques.
Buddha seated in meditation on Padmāsana. Head in
high relief, body in low relief. All varying slightly in
modelling and colour. Vesica and oval nimbus. Poor
work. 9″×6¼″. Pl. XLIX.

Ch. 020, 022, 027. Clay relief plaques, similar to
Ch. 01. But seated monkish figure is corpulent, front of
body exposed to stomach ; two upper robes, one covering
lower part of body, legs and L. arm and shoulder, the other
covering R. arm and shoulder. Flounce of under robe.
L. leg crossed ; R. foot flat on Āsana with knee up on which
rests R. hand holding rosary ; L. hand on L. knee ; eyes
open and round ; shaven head, uncovered ; cheeks and
chin coloured dark to show incipient hair. Prob. monk.
020. Flesh dark pink, eyebrows bushy painted in fine
lines. Upper robes purple, red bordered ; that on R. lined
green. Flounce, green. Āsana, green, black and red.
All niche missing. 022. Flesh and hair as preceding. L.
upper robe green studded with trefoil spots, each composed
of three round dots, respectively blue, green and pink with

3 A