figure; 畫像(Chinese) BM-MAS.1021

Period:Unknown Production date:6thC-7thC
Materials:stucco, 灰泥 (Chinese),
Technique:mould-made, appliqué, 模製 (Chinese), 應用的 (Chinese), slipped, painted,
Subjects:deity 神 (Chinese)
Dimensions:Height: 10.50 centimetres

Description:
Fragmentary stucco figure. This is the head of a person with a serene facial expression and a rosette-shaped earring in the right ear. The hair is fastened in a fan-shaped topknot and held together with a broad band. The head was made using a mould while the details of hair and jewellery were moulded and applied separately. Traces of a white slip and dark paint are clearly visible.
IMG


Comments:EnglishFrom Whitfield 1985:This head and figure both come from the triple frieze of the cella (xi) at Ming-oi, like the two devatas already seen in Pls. 96 and 97. The warrior of Pl. 98 came from the chamber (xii) immediately behind, but other similar warrior figures were found in the cella itself. Examples of other figures, the majority of them found in the same shrine, are seen in Figs. 123-44. Among them are many that clearly show how moulds were employed for the basic face, while variations in the headdress were added, often making further use of moulded elements (compare Pl. 100 with the female heads seen in Figs. 126-29).In addition to these lightly clad figures of worshipping devatas, the same cella also contained figures of a different kind: female figures whose covering draperies are indicated with deeply incised lines (Fig. 141), and representations of emaciated male figures, wearing the same crossed pearled bands with lotus medallion and framed by the same kind of background shawl (Fig. 142), but with muscles and tendons powerfully modelled to accentuate their privations, in strong contrast to the soft and tender forms of the female figures.All of these figures, built upon reed cores, were originally coloured. Those few traces that remained are described in Serindia (Vol. Ⅲ, p. 1205): the flesh tint was light red; the hair blue or red, with red jewels and a gilt fillet binding it; and the eyes blue over white. Although few traces remained, and none at all of the drapery colours, the description alone is enough to suggest a close relation-ship with the vividly preserved art of Kucha and Kizil. Fortunately, far more of the colouring, including the drapery colours, is preserved in the clay statues taken by Le Coq from the cave temples at Shorchuk, close to the ruined shrines of Ming-oi that stood out in the open (Along the Ancient Silk Routes, Nos. 65-78).Other similar figures are seen with the upper body preserved, as in Pl. 99, in Fig. 124, and with a slender form and long legs in Figs. 139 and 140. These examples show how the upper body was generally nude, the legs lightly draped. The pearl border is seen repeatedly, in the necklace and bands crossing the chest, as well as around the medallions on the upper arms and where the bands cross. One of the clearest examples (Stein considered it the best of the relief figures found in the cella) is seen in Pl. 96. ChineseFrom Whitfield 1985:無論是第99圖的半身像，還是第100圖的頭部，均與圖96、97中所見的天部像一起，均來自明屋内殿（xi）三層的中楣。圖98展示的武士像是從裏側的房間（xii）發現的，從内殿（xi）也發現了幾個同樣的武士像。另外，從該寺址還發現了大量其他像，見於Figs. 123-44。它們之中，可以看出臉部的基本造型大多使用了模子，並添加了用另一模子製作的裝飾，使頭飾有了變化（對圖100的頭部和Figs. 126-29的頭部等進行比較）。除了發現此種著薄衣的供養天部外，在同一内殿中還發現了下面所述的另一種類型的塑像：用深刻的紋理表現厚衣的女性像（參照Fig. 141）以及消瘦的男性像（(Fig. 142)等，男性像與本圖一樣兩肩披著連珠紋帶，在胸前交叉，交叉處有蓮花紋的圓形裝飾。背面是同樣的天衣的邊，但爲了表現苦行的樣子，強調了筋骨和腱，與女性像的柔和、親切姿態形成鮮明對比。這些像都用蘆葦桿做芯，當時曾上過彩。有關保留下的僅有的彩色痕迹，在《西域》（參照第3卷，1205頁）中有詳細敍述：皮膚是淡紅色，頭髮爲青或紅色，頭髮上裝飾紅色寶石，紮金色帶。眼睛是在塗的白上加青色瞳。臉部色彩幾乎沒有保留，也完全辨別不出衣服的顔色。僅根據敍述也能充分看出，這些像與庫車或克孜爾現在仍很鮮豔的美術作品有密切關係。幸運的是，在勒柯克收集的塑像中，能夠見到包括衣物在內，所有色彩都保留極好的像。據說他是在離明屋遺迹非常近的碩爾楚克石窟收集到的（參照《沿著古代絲路》，65～78圖）。 與圖99同類的像，上半身在Fig. 124中，細長的軀幹和腿部則展示在Figs. 139 和140中。綜合這些範例，大致是上半身裸露，腿上裹薄衣。連珠紋被反復使用於首飾、胸前交叉的帶子、兩臂及帶子交叉點上的圓形裝飾周圍等處。各部分都保存得最好（斯坦因從此内殿發現的浮雕像中，這是最好的作品）是圖96中的像。