banner; painting; 幡(Chinese); 繪畫(Chinese) BM-1919-0101-0.156

Period:Tang dynasty Production date:851-950 (circa)
Materials:hemp, 麻 (Chinese),
Technique:painted
Subjects:bodhisattva 菩薩 (Chinese)
Dimensions:Height: 220 centimetres Width: 35 centimetres

Description:
Standing figure of Avalokiteśvara on a well-preserved banner. Simplified triangular headpiece, which is part of main painted area, decorated with single flower motif. Two streamers. Ink and colour on hemp.
IMG


Comments:EnglishFrom Whitfield 1983:The Bodhisattva is crisply drawn on both sides of the banner in ink and bright colours. A bright green was used for the eyebrows, with red for the lips. The olive-green of the nimbus and of the lining to the scarves has generally turned brownish. Yellow was used for the jewellery, and an orange wash for the flesh tones. Although the hooked mouthline and flattened scale-like folds over the legs indicate a date near the end of the ninth century, the general care of execution and details such as the headdress where the horns of a crescent moon are still visible (for the complete original motif, see Vol. 3, Pl. 1) clearly reflect the traditions of the early ninth century and before.The headpiece with its floral motif is in one piece with the main panel. The edges of the streamers are bound to prevent fraying, but there are no stiffeners and there seems to have been no weighting board at the lower end of the tail streamers. ChineseFrom Whitfield 1983:此幡的兩面都是用流利的線描繪觀音菩薩，施以明亮的色彩。眉毛用亮綠色、嘴唇用了紅色。頭光和天衣裏子所用的橄欖色（黃綠色）變成了茶色般的顔色。珠寶用黃色，皮膚的暈染用了橙色。從嘴唇兩端鈎狀彎曲，以及裹着腿的衣褶是單調的鱗狀等方面看，其年代可设定为近於9世紀末，但通觀整體的表現以及寶冠上似新月角狀（有關它完整的圖案，參照第3卷圖1）等若干細部的表現可追蹤至9世紀前半葉或更早。幡頭和主要部分成一體，繪著一個花紋。爲了防止幡尾和幡腳邊開線鎖了邊，但沒有使用芯，幡腳的鎮板已經殘缺。