banner; painting; 幡(Chinese); 繪畫(Chinese) BM-1919-0101-0.154

Period:Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Production date:10thC
Materials:hemp, 麻 (Chinese),
Technique:painted
Subjects:buddha bodhisattva 佛 (Chinese) 菩薩 (Chinese)
Dimensions:Height: 94 centimetres Width: 27 centimetres

Description:
Painted banner showing a seated Amitābha Buddha in the triangular headpiece and a standing figure of Avalokiteśvara in the main body. Two streamers at the bottom. Ink and colour on hemp.
IMG


Comments:EnglishFrom Whitfield 1983:This banner and the following one show the decorative effect of the use of colour in the banners on hemp cloth, which could easily be dyed. This banner has lost its side streamers, which were originally of the same blue colour as the tail streamers. As the banner is quite wide, wooden stiffeners were inserted at top and bottom of the main panel. The painting apparently was hung for a considerable time, there are numerous traces of bird droppings on the edges of the headpiece and on the back of the banner.Although the banner is not at all transparent, the ink lines of the figure penetrated the material sufficiently to be followed almost exactly on the back. Some slight differences show the extent of this penetration of the ink, for example in the wave pattern of the nimbus. The triangular headpiece is formed of a separate folded square of material and so is of double thickness. ChineseFrom Whitfield 1983:麻布極易染色，本幡及下幡反映了在麻布上染色的裝飾性效果。此幡兩側的幡尾已丟失，可能它和幡腳都是青色的。幡幅非常寬，上下端都插入了木芯。此幡顯然掛了相當長的時間，幡頭邊上和幡背上沾著很多鳥糞。儘管質地根本不透明，但墨透布背，從背面也可以清晰地看到圖像。但如頭光的波形等文樣，與正面的圖像有少許差異。三角形幡頭是把四方形的布對折而成的，所以厚了一倍。