国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

we find introduced pairs of confronting beasts, along with arcades of cloud scroll and fret columns
curiously reminiscent of a Han silk from the Tun-huang Limes and of a 'warp-rib' fabric of archaic
type from Ch'ien-fo-tung.⁴⁰ Reasons of technique explain why only 'geometric' patterns, all
of a simple character, are to be found in the gauzes ; three of them show a small lozenge diaper
closely resembling a gauze from Ch'ien-fo-tung.⁴¹ The rainbow-coloured gauze, vi. 03 (Pl. LXXVII),
a piece of very fine weaving, stands by itself.

Designs of
printed and
'resist'-
dyed silks. Among the silks decorated by printing or dyeing both floral and geometric designs are repre-
sented. Patterns of the former type are seen not only in the block-printed silks i. 7. 01 ; x. 1. 04
(Pl. LXXXII), which show a tendency towards naturalistic treatment, but also in the dyed piece
ix. 2. 012 (Pl. LXXXII), produced by 'resist' method applied freehand. In the other specimens
of silks dyed by this method the patterns consist of lozenges and circles formed with spots.⁴² As
regards the pattern thus produced in vi. 2. 04 ; 3. 03, 07 (Pl. XXXVI, LXXVIII), it is of interest
to note that it occurs also on the Lou-lan figured silk L.C. 01 (Pl. XXXV), with a slight variation
accounted for by the weave. Finally in vi. 1. 01, 02 (Pl. LXXXVI) we have an 'all-over'
pattern of knot-dyed spots.

SECTION VI.—LIST OF ANTIQUES FROM CEMETERIES NEAR ASTĀNA

OBJECTS EXCAVATED IN TOMBS OF GROUP i

Ast. i. 1. 01. Fr. of figured silk from face-cover (a) ;
circular, cut from larger piece and surrounded by pleated
plain silk.
Byzantine pattern consisting of circle of discs, interrupted
at cardinal points by a square, five discs in each quadrant.
Within circle a conventional, bisymmetrical tree with
large half-open flower in profile at top, broad flat centre
stem rising from label, placed across base and ornamented
with five small circles. On either side of central stem a
branch springs curving spirally downwards, bearing vine (?)
leaves and berries and terminating in a flower.
Colouring : Discs buff on dark blue. Field dark buff,
stems light buff, leaves bright green, veined yellow. Central
flower, yellow, green and blue. Twill weave. Rev. lining
thin felt and fine plain silk, to which frs. of coarse brown
hair adhere. All much perished, faded, and extremely
brittle. Cf. Ast. i. 3. b. 01. Diam. of circle about 7½″,
Pl. LXXX.

Ast. i. 1. 02. Frs. of painted silk, similar to Ast. i. 2.
03. Very brittle.

Ast. i. 1. 02. a. Fr. of silk damask (found with Ast. i. 1.
02). Pattern, a trellis formed of elongated hexagons. Within
each, at each end, an equilateral hexagon of which two
sides are formed by the short (end) sides of the enclosing
hexagon. Within small hexagon a rhombus, with its sides
parallel to four of the sides of hexagon. Between the two
small hexagons and the long sides of enclosing hexagon,
two rhombuses, same size as end ones and symmetrically

spaced. These and field of small hexagons are woven
'tabby', remainder in twill. Silk of two colours shaded
one into the other—dark green and golden brown, with
traces of blue. Perhaps originally one colour (blue ?),
now faded and discoloured. Finely woven. Very ragged
and fragile ; c. 6″ × 4″. Pl. XLIII.

Ast. i. 1. 03. Pottery jar ; wheel-made, grey body, flat-
bottomed and high-shouldered, drawing in to small neck
above, and expanding again at once to everted rim. Out-
side painted black, with design outlined in lines of dull
grey : band round middle, and series of blunt-ended
petals above and below, pointing respectively downwards
and upwards to band. Design brought out prominently
by bands of large round white spots, following outlines.
Broad red stripe also down centre of each petal, and round
inside and sloping outer edge of rim. Very coarse decora-
tion of same kind found on most Astāna pottery. Good
condition. Empty. H. 8″, gr. diam. 6¾″, diam. of mouth 5″.

Ast. i. 1. 04. Pottery goblet ; oval cup (wheel-made)
with everted rim, joined to spreading circular foot (broken).
Grey body, hard fired, with traces over whole of white
spot decoration on black, same as on i. 1. 03, but almost all
flaked off. Band of red inside rim. H. 5¼″, diam. of mouth
4½″, of waist 1¾″, of base 3½″.

Ast. i. 1. 05. Pottery goblet ; shallow bowl-shaped cup
with out-turned rim, and very slightly expanding twelve-
sided pedestal turning into circular bevelled foot. Painted
black, white, and red, in same style of decoration as Ast.