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

to ankles); latter again outlined by border of rocks repre-
senting the Vulture Peak.

The Bodhisattvas (prob. Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāma)
stand turning ¾ towards him; that on L. (Buddha's R.) with
hands in adoration; that on R. with both arms hanging but
slightly advanced from elbows, R. hand turned palm out as
in vara-mudrā, L. with back of hand outwards and all
fingers doubled up except first. Their dress, orns. and
coiffure are in 'Indian' Bodhisatva style as descr. in *Ch. IV.
0014, but without stoles and trimly drawn; their robes barely
reach ankles. One has the tilaka on his forehead, the other
a dark blue mark in shape of narrow leaf.

The disciples are shaven, haloed, and in monkish dress,
their mantles barred with cross-stripes like Kṣitigarbha's in
*Ch. i. 003, etc. Enough remains of faces to show that one
(on Buddha's R.) was plump and benign in aspect, while
other was lined and frowning. They prob. represent
Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana or Śāriputra and Kāśyapa.
(For their possible connexion with the Good and the Evil
Genius attendants in later paintings of Avalokiteśvara, see
*Ch. 00102 and Petrucci, Appendix Æ, III. x.)

Canopy small and stiff example of type seen in *Ch. 002,
etc., with jewelled chain and tassels; Apsaras have no wings,
but float down with outspread arms, borne up by scrolled
clouds and their billowing stoles as in Ch. xviii. 001; liii. 001.

Below Buddha's feet, on R. and L., small seated lion of
conventional type, with one forepaw lifted. Donors kneel at
bottom in rows on either side of panel intended for dedica-
tory inscr. They consist on R. of a monk and three men,
with boy attendant standing behind; and on L. of four women
and small child, with young woman standing at back (see
Thousand Buddhas, Pl. XXXV).

The men wear long belted light greenish-blue coats, and
brown or indigo peaked and tailed caps; the women high-
waisted skirts of brown, green, and blue, bodices with long
close-fitting sleeves, and small shawl-like stoles. Their dress
is absolutely plain; they have no jewels, and their hair is done
in small top-knot on head without any orns. In colour, style,
and absence of orn. dress thus presents a marked contrast to
the elaborate dress of tenth-century donors in *Ch. 00102;
lviii. 003, etc. Cf. above, pp. 851, 896.

The dedication has never been worked in; but of the
narrow cartouches placed by each line of donors, the two
foremost on the men's side have been filled in with Chin.
chars. now illegible.

Silks clean and glossy, and work executed with great care.
Colouring consists chiefly of pale creamy buffs, greys, and
browns, dull green and pale yellow, with some pink (much
faded), indigo blue and a lighter speedwell blue, throwing
into relief glowing red of Ś.'s mantle and deep golden yellow
of his shoulder, breast, and upper arm. His face, like the
Bodhisattvas' flesh, worked in light buff, and also R. hand and
forearm. Latter, moreover, are executed in thin rows of
chain-stitch, unlike rest of picture. No black is used, the
hair of Ś. and Bodhisattvas being deep indigo, that of women
donors dark brown; the eyes dark brown, and outlines dark
brown or indigo.

Mixture of Chinese and Indian elements in style similar to
that in the silk paintings; but the Indian predominates owing
to hieratic character of three chief figs., which show Chinese
influence only in Bodhisattvas' faces. Śākyamuni's fig.,
appears in identical pose, dress, etc., in representations of
statue shown by paintings Ch. 0059; xxii. 0023. xiii. For
origin of common model and probably early date of hanging,
cf. above, pp. 851, 878, 895 sq. 8′ x 5 4⅜″. Pl. CIV;
Thousand Buddhas, Pl. XXXV.

Ch. 00278. Silk altar valance, composed of long
band of silk fabric, to lower edge of which is attached series
of hanging tabs and streamers of other silks. This valance
is incomplete, the best parts having prob. been removed for
use elsewhere. When complete it evidently had short plain
curtain of silk hanging also from band and making a back-
ground for streamers as in Ch. 00279. It was then used to
drape an altar, as often represented in Ch. silk and paper
paintings. For valance of exactly same make, clearly
reproduced, see paper painting of Ch. 00400. r, and of silk
paintings especially Ch. 00167 (Pl. LXI); lviii. 0011.

The tabs are triangular and made of single piece of
figured silk, damask, or embroidery, lined with plain silk, and
measuring 5″ in depth x 9″ to 10″ at line of attachment to
band. Those preserved show no scheme of arrangement,
but consist mainly of figured silk identical with Ch. 00227,
damask like Ch. 00249, or printed gauze of the same pattern
as Ch. 00306. Others are of pink silk gauze, showing frs.
of flower and bird embroidery in dark blue, green, and pink.
The streamers are composite, made of five or six small
squares of plain or figured silk, folded and laid upon each
other so as to form series of overlapping points. There were
orig. more, but all ends incomplete. All streamers remaining
are of uniform pattern, the silks in order downwards being
white, light green, salmon-pink, dark green (printed) with
quatrefoil rosettes in pink, and light blue damask with an
occasional spot as Ch. 00343. They are lined with plain silk of
dull pink. Great majority of both tabs and streamers, however,
are gone, and those remaining are much stained and faded.

Chief interest of valance lies in band, which is made of
pieces of a large-patterned silk, woven in same loose satin
twill as Ch. 0076, with design in Turkey red, faded to
orange, on a white ground. (The stuff, however, is rever-
sible, and as the surface is much worn it has been reproduced
in Plates from reverse.) Pattern consists of repeating
elliptical 'spot', 2′ 1″ x 1′ 11⅜″, composed of central quatre-
foil flower, surrounded by floral wreath of alternate palmette-
shaped bunches of leaves and wide-open mallow (?) flowers,
and an outer band of more complex open flowers of like kind
with galloping deer.

The latter face each other in pairs across flower masses
placed at top and bottom of ellipse, rearing up from those at
sides, on which their hind legs stand. They are drawn in
naturalistic style with striking vigour and sense of move-
ment; and have antlered heads, goat-like beards, and bodies
spotted with quatrefoils. Spandrels between these ellipses
filled by lozenge-shaped 'spots' of entwined bands exactly