painting; 繪畫(Chinese) BM-1919-0101-0.168.+

Period:Tang dynasty Production date:801-850 (circa)
Materials:paper, 紙 (Chinese),
Technique:painted
Subjects:bodhisattva lotus throne sun/moon 菩薩 (Chinese) 蓮花寶座 (Chinese) 日/月 (Chinese)
Dimensions:Height: 42.50 centimetres Width: 26 centimetres

Description:
Painting of a frowning bodhisattva, seated on a lotus throne, with sun and moon on the sides. Tentatively identified as Ākāśagarbha, Lord of the Sky, who is sometimes shown with a fierce countenance. Painted in the Tibetan style, and with Tibetan inscription below the Bodhisattva’s lotus throne.Ink and colour on paper.
IMG


Comments:EnglishFrom Whitfield 1983:This Bodhisattva is depicted in almost the same fashion as Tara or Avalokitesvara in the preceding plate, but with frowning countenance and with the addition of the emblems of the sun and moon. The inscription in this and that in the following painting are preserved almost complete. In each case it consists of a description of the figure, the number of the painting and the name of the painter or donor, these three parts being separated by vertical lines. Because the reading is somewhat difficult in parts to make out, the transcription of the Tibetan is given here first, followed by the translation: [Sta]-bla-ma-phyogs-kyi-mgon-po-steng-gi-ham-(hum)- tshigs-thams-cad Kha-so-brgyad The-god-za-leg-mos-bris The Holy Lord of the Directions [who is accompanied by] all the Hum mantras of the space above Kha-38 Painted (?) by Leg-mo, the noble lady (?) of The-godThe figure is here tentatively identified as Akasagarbha, Lord of the Sky, who is sometimes depicted with fierce or frowning countenance (Mochizuki, 1973-74,p. 1136c) and whose cult is closely related to that of Avalokitesvara. The right hand is in vitarka-mudra, which is in accord with the description given by Getty, who also gives the sun as Akasagarbha’s symbol (Getty, 1928,p.101). The sun and the moon are frequently seen in this position in paintings of the Thousand-armed Avalokitesvara. The numeral in the centre must simply refer to the number of the painting in a sequence or series; it is given in two forms, both the abbreviated syllabic system and in ordinary notation. Hugh Richardson, to whom I am indebted, as I am to David Snellgrove and Lama Chime Rimpoche, for assistance with this inscription and the one in Pl. 49, suggests that Leg-mo has a feminine termination (mo). If so, then it would appear that Leg-mo was a noble lady who commissioned the painting, rather than the actual painter.The canopy is depicted in the same spare and loose way as the figure, being more of a linear design than a depiction of a three-dimensional cover over the figure. In this it somewhat resembles the shape of the canopies in Pls. 52 and 53,both of which are probably tenth century in date. But the inscriptions in Tibetan, and the concern for the shape of the figure beneath the scarves, suggest an earlier date. It is possible that this and the two other drawings of the series are datable towards the end of the period of Tibetan control. That is around the middle of the ninth century A. D. ChineseFrom Whitfield 1983:此菩薩像的描繪與上圖的觀世音菩薩像非常相似，只是在皺眉的臉部表情和添加了日月等處有所不同。本圖和下一圖的吐蕃文記錄幾乎完整地保留下來。兩圖中的題記記載像名、圖的序號、畫家或供養人像的名字等三個主要內容，每個內容之間用縱線隔開。文字釋讀存在一定的難度，大致翻譯如下：[Sta]-bla-ma-phyogs-kyi-mgon-po-steng-gi-ham-(hum)- tshigs-thams-cad Kha-so-brgyad The-god-za-leg-mos-bris 守護各方的尊者…… 38面 信奉神靈的貴族夫人Leg-mo繪（？）此像暫定為虛空藏菩薩。那虛空藏菩薩常常是以憤怒或愁苦的面容出現（參照望月信亨《佛教大辭典》，1973-74，第1136頁），其信仰與觀音信仰有密切關係，手結說法印，表現虛空藏菩薩的象徵有日輪（參照Alice Getty,The Gods of Northen Buddhism.Oxford,1928,p.101）。日輪和月輪在千手千眼觀世音菩薩圖中，也常常有與此相同的配置。中央的數字，可能是表示該畫在系列圖中序號；它給了兩種形式，即：縮寫和一般寫法。Hugh Richardson、David Snellgrove、Chime Rimpoche喇嘛對此圖和下圖中吐蕃文記錄的解讀，提供了幫助。Hugh Richardson指出出現在最後的記述中的“Leg-mo”是女性的名字。如果是那樣，她不会是繪畫的畫家，可能是委託製作該繪畫的貴族女性。華蓋的描繪與像的幅度大小幾乎相同，完全沒有籠罩著佛像的立體感，看似平面的設計。這與被認爲是10世紀中葉的圖52、53的華蓋形式近似。但是，從吐蕃文字的記錄、注意對條帛下肉體的表現看，可斷定其年代稍早些，結論是，此圖的繪畫和其他兩件一樣是吐蕃佔領期結束的847年以前的作品。