painting; 繪畫(Chinese) BM-1919-0101-0.7

Period:Tang dynasty Production date:9thC
Materials:silk, 絲綢 (Chinese),
Technique:painted
Subjects:bodhisattva willow 菩薩 (Chinese) 柳枝 (Chinese)
Dimensions:Height: 57.50 centimetres Width: 38.10 centimetres

Description:
A relatively small painting of Avalokiteśvara holding a willow branch and a vase, standing on lotuses. His blue hair is encircled by a flaming nimbus. Four flowers are the only background features. Inscribed cartouche in top left corner. Ink and colour on silk.
IMG


Comments:EnglishFrom Whitfield 1983:The Bodhisattva, standing facing the spectator with the head turned slightly to the left, holds a willow branch in his right hand and a small blue vase with gilt rim and foot in the upturned palm of his left hand. Blue is also used for the Bodhisattva’s hair, jewels, and the pattern and lining of his skirt. Apart from four individual flowers falling in the air around his flame-circled nimbus, there are no background features. The figure was originally outlined in red with fine ink lines, all now barely visible in the upper part of the body. The plain green halo with finely drawn flames invites comparison with the dated Avalokitesvara of A.D. 910 (Pl.7); hence a late ninth century date is suggested for this picture.The painting is on a much smaller scale than most of the other Avalokitesvaras in the collection, being similar in size to the Ksitigarbha of Pl. 8. A painted orange border, outlined in yellow inside and in ink outside, runs around the four sides and shows that this painting was complete as it stands, without a sewn-on border. The brightness of the colours must originally have given it a jewel-like quality. ChineseFrom Whitfield 1983:此觀音正面站立，頭稍微右歪。右手持小柳枝，左手掌托著壺嘴邊和底部是金彩的青色小壺。觀音的頭髮、瓔珞、裳的花紋和裏子等都是用同樣的青色。背景除了火焰光周圍的空中飄舞的四個散花外，沒有描繪其他事物。原來用墨和紅色描出的輪廓線，現在已褪色，只有上半身可勉強辨出。美麗的火焰圍繞的綠色頭光，比有天復十年（910年）紀年的觀世音菩薩像（參照圖7）的頭光略早，因此此畫的年代相當於9世紀。此畫是斯坦因收集品的觀世音菩薩像中的小型作品，與圖8的地藏菩薩尺寸大致相等。周邊可見內側是黃色、外側用墨框起的橙色描繪的裝裱。由此可知，此畫所示的現狀是完整的，原來就沒有縫綴絹邊。明亮的色彩當時一定使它具有類似珠寶的質感。