painting; 繪畫(Chinese) BM-1919-0101-0.199

Period:Tang dynasty Production date:751-850 (circa)
Materials:hemp, silk, 麻 (Chinese), 絲綢 (Chinese),
Technique:painted
Subjects:bodhisattva,flower sun/moon vajra 菩薩 (Chinese) 供養人 (Chinese) 花 (Chinese) 日/月 (Chinese) 金剛 (Chinese)
Dimensions:Height: 101 centimetres Width: 102.50 centimetres

Description:
Painting of thousand-armed, thousand-eyed Avalokiteśvara, seated centrally, surrounded by figures. On the left side are Bodhisattvas of the Moon (Candraprabha) and Scatterer of Flowers. Fiery-headed Vajra and Blue-faced Vajra on the left and right sides, respectively. Sūryaprabha (Bodhisattva of the Sun) in top-right corner. On bottom register, female donors on the left, male on the right. Ink and colour on hemp with brown silk borders.
IMG


Comments:EnglishFrom Whitfield 1983:This painting on hemp cloth is a simpler version, similar in date, of the great Thousand-armed, Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara on silk (Vol. 1, Pl. 18). Two details from the left side are shown here in colour (see Fig. 55 for the whole painting).Avalokitesvara, in the centre, is seated instead of standing, so that the whole figure is contained within the great circle of eyes and hands. Around the Bodhisattva are some of the principal figures found in the silk painting. In the upper corners, first of all, are the Bodhisattvas of the Sun and Moon, this time correctly represented on their respective vahanas of horses and geese, with appropriately coloured red and white discs (in Pl. 6 they have been exchanged). Next (Pl. 40-1) is the kneeling Bodhisattva called Scatterer of Flowers in the silk painting. Waley identifies this figure as Sarasvati or Sri Devi, the sister of Vaisravana, but since the figure has none of the attributes of a high-born lady I prefer the simpler interpretation suggested by reference to the painting on silk. The figure on the opposite side, seen in profile with hands raised towards Avalokitesvara, has the emaciated hints of the rishi Vasu, but in combination with a crown of dragon heads exactly as worn by the naga spirits standing in the pool in the lower part of the silk painting (Vol. 1, Pl. 18-5), and indeed in this painting as well. Finally, in the lower corners, on either side of the lotus tank, are flaming vajra deities, with boar-headed attendants, again as in the silk painting, the Fiery-headed Vajra on the left (Pl. 40-2) and the Blue-faced Vajra on the right. Below is a narrow strip of donors, in the costume of the late eighth or early ninth century.The omission of numerous other figures has enabled those that remain to be depicted with ample space around them, and with clear detail. The ground on which they are seen is coloured dark blue and finely ruled with triple lines in a lozenge pattern, of which each lozenge contains a floral motif in white (each motif itself composed of small white lozenges). The same background pattern occurs in other works, notably in the woodcut frontispiece to the Diamond Sutra, dated A.D. 868 (Fig. 144). The lotus pedestals for the two middle figures and for Avalokitesvara are elaborately decorated in eighth century fashion, and the painting, apart from a silk border, has a painted floral border as well. Evidently in this case hemp cloth was no mere cheap substitute for silk, but a material valued in its own right. ChineseFrom Whitfield 1983:此麻繪的構成，是簡化了的大約同時代的絹繪大作《千手千眼觀世音菩薩圖》，彩色圖版中只刊載了畫面左側中央的天部（參照圖40－1）和其下面的火頭金剛（參照圖40－2）部分，全圖收錄在Fig.55中。中尊千手千眼觀音不是立像，而是坐像，全身恰好圈在由無數隻眼和手組成的大圓中。周圍只繪了絹畫中所見的眷屬中的一部分。首先是上段的左右，乘馬的日天和乘鵝的月天，並有各自相應的紅色的日輪和白色的月輪（在圖16的絹繪中，是相反的）。中段，是在絹繪中被標爲“散花”的天部（參照圖40－1），跪著捧花。Waley把她看作是弁財天或功德天，但此像沒有出身高貴的婦人特徵，所以我認爲，和絹繪中的一樣，只是單純地表現天部。在對面，可見跪著向觀音伸出兩手的側臉像，乍一看，其消瘦的姿容很像婆藪仙，但從他頭上戴的五頭龍蓋看，畫的會不會是絹畫下部池中站立的龍王（參照第1卷圖18－8、18－5）？在下段，蓮池的兩側各站一身被火焰光圍繞的金剛力士，同時還有豬臉的侍者。和絹畫的情況相同，左邊是火頭金剛（參照圖40－2），右邊是青面金剛。下邊設置了細帶狀的供養人欄，繪著身著8世紀末至9世紀初期的衣裳的供養人。由於省略了其他很多像，周圍描繪的六身像每個都很寬鬆，連細部都描得很明確。背景的深青色底子上有三根線組成的斜格子，每個菱形中加了白色的花卉圖案，而每一花卉本身也是由白色的小菱形組成的。回想有咸通九年（868年）紀年的版畫《金剛經》（參照Fig.144）中，也見到过相同的底紋。觀音和中段二尊的蓮華座，有8世紀風格的華麗裝飾，絹縫的邊布內側还可見描有花柄的装裱。从這點看，麻布在此画中，與其說是絹的廉價代用品，不如说認爲有素材方面的價值。