1919,0101,0.51

Description

Scope and content : Ch. xxii. 0023. Remains of large silk painting with Chin. inscr., representing a series of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the figs. hardly coloured and drawn in marked Gandhāra style. From inscriptions (much effaced and some wholly illegible) it appears that they represent statues as supposed to be worshipped in the artist’s day at certain Indian shrines. L. portion fairly complete except at top and bottom, R. portion fragmentary. Judging from usual proportion of height to width in the paintings, and also from size of scattered frs. remaining of R. side, it is evident that large L. side portion represents about half orig. picture. The chief characteristic of the picture, apart from its Gandhāra style of drawing, is its entire lack of unity in composition. The figs. are all of about the same size, ranged side by side and one above the other, with cartouches for inscr. (vertical, horizontal, or sometimes right-angled) scattered amongst them. It is obvious that there was no central predominant fig. or group of figs., and from the number and position of cartouches in the more or less complete L. half it is probable that there was no interrelation intended even between figs. placed beside each other; cf. above, pp. 877 sqq.