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

Dress: a close-fitting short-sleeved jacket, sage-green
powdered with round buff spots, set at neck in low band
of dark buff orn. with Indian red. Sleeves finished above
elbow by similar band, above another of terra-cotta with
green and black scroll orn., and edged with short full
frills of white or yellow. Lower arm covered with tight-
fitting sleeve of under-garment, red, with purple cuff-band
(on L. arm) orn. with green scrolls. Turquoise-green
stole also about arms. Legs draped with plum-coloured
robe, spotted with terra-cotta and green trefoils and pearl-
like dots of white. General background, terra-cotta red;
circular halo, turquoise-green bordered with terra-cotta red
and dark buff.

Five children play about her. One, nude, sits astride
R. shoulder; another, in terra-cotta shirt, astride L.;
another bestrides R. forearm, and a fourth embraces L.
breast as he stands on her girdle; these both nude. The
fifth, in green shirt, on extreme L., appears to be dancing.
All have features and figs. of grown boys or men.

Flesh throughout washed in with flesh-pink, over white,
shaded with a slightly darker tint; all flesh outlines are
Indian red, and eyes in black and white only. Hārītī's
cheeks seem to have been coloured with another pigment
which has destroyed the surface, leaving only the clay below.

Fine conception, but execution unequal; badly damaged
over most of surface, but H.'s face and figs. of children
almost intact. For interpretation of figure and its com-
parison with painting on linen found at Yār-khoto, see
Foucher, La Madone bouddhique, Fondation Piot, Paris,
1910, pp. 16 sqq., with Pl. XIX and Fig. 7 showing mural
painting in situ. 2′ × 2′. Pl. XIII.

F. XII. 005. Fresco panel showing standing Bodhisattva
(Avalokitara). ¾ R.; R. hand with palm upturned
before breast supporting long-necked flask, L. hand down
as though gathering robe together. Fig. slim and generally
of Indo-Persian type. Upper half nude except for dark
pink stole, striped with white, twined on arms; knots of
white drapery hanging behind shoulders; necklet, chain,
armlets, and bracelets. Flesh light pink shaded with
darker pink and a light burnt red. Below hips fig. is
draped in a variegated robe gathered closely round legs
and falling in pleated folds between. Intermingling colours
of robe represented by cross stripes of white and red, and
(in another direction) green and black. Head wears tiara
of open lotus with Dhyāni-buddha in centre and pearl
border; hair long, falling behind shoulders, is dull dark
brown heavily lined with black. Straight eyes downcast;
long straight nose; elongated ear, but no ear-ring. All
outlines of flesh in light burnt sienna, which is also used
for iris of eyes and eyebrows; but the latter (besides
nostril, line dividing lips, and L. side of face) are
strengthened with black.

Behind is narrow oval vesica and circular halo. Ground
of vesica light green, of halo greenish grey; both bordered
with inner band of dark pink and outer border of circular
medallions in buff outlined with red and having alternately
red and green centres.

Background of whole dark red, with lower part of dark
blue lotus bud showing in L. top corner, and small seated
Buddha on R. Immediately above on wall stood F. XII. 006.

Close approach to Indian elements in Graeco-Buddhist
art particularly noticeable, e.g. in the variegated robe,
forms of jewellery and flask, treatment of drapery and
angular folds down front of robe. Dark brown for the
hair is not found elsewhere amongst the wall-paintings of
Collection, but is found on hair of Lokapālas in some
of Ch'ien-fo-tung paintings (see Ch. 0035; XII. 0011; Iv.
0018); for a lighter brown used for iris of eyes as in
frescoes from M. III, cf. M. III. 003.

Surface much worn. 2′7″ × 1′2⅜″. Fresco in situ,
Figs. 312, 313. Portion removed, Pl. CXXV.

F. XII. 006. Fresco fr. from wall immediately above
F. XII. 005; shows lower part of fig. standing on lotus
(pale green and black, with brown centre). Dark red
background with three large lotus buds (black and pale
green) in field. Pale green robe with dark red border and
stole of dark pink, white, and black check, ends of which
remain. Vesica has ornamental border, decorated with
attendant figs. in panels; parts of two on pale green and
dark red grounds showing on L. side. Work rough, and
green paint almost entirely lost. 11″ × 14″.

F. XII. 007. Fresco fr. showing seated Buddha from
Buddha-draped portion of south-east wall in F. XII. Hands
together in lap, with thumbs touching, head ¾ L. Pink
lotus-throne, red-brown robe, green vesica with dark brown
border, circular pink nimbus. Flesh white, shaded with
burnt sienna and outlined Indian red. Background pale
green. To L., knee and part of vesica (red and white)
of next fig. Coarse work. 18″ × 10⅜″. For fresco in
situ, see Fig. 314.

F. XII. 008. Fresco fr. showing seated Buddha from wall
above F. XII. 007, and in same style. Blue lotus throne,
pale green robe bordered red. Whites of eyes have blue-
grey line along lower part. Black eyelashes, elongated.
Vesica pink bordered with green; halo shaded pink,
bordered with blue; rectang. background red. To L. is
left side of second fig. in red robe on pink lotus with blue
vesica; rectang. background pale green. Above, traces of
third subject. Colours rich; work rather rough. 1′ × 1′7″.
For fresco in situ, see Fig. 314.

F. XII. 009. Fresco fr. from portion of north-east wall
adjoining the statue seen in Fig. 296. R. half, upon dark
red ground, shows twining stem and tendrils in dark grey
from which spring large lotus bud and fully opened lotus.
Petals white in flower centre, light copper-green in
outer parts, outlined black. Background sprinkled with
small floral sprigs in white. Down L. side, on lighter red
ground, are three Buddhas seated in meditation on lotuses,
with lotus-petal vesicas. Hands of two upper covered by
robe.

Painted in buff throughout, with dark red outlines,
eyes, and hair; copper-green on petals of Padmāsana,