painting; 繪畫(Chinese) BM-1919-0101-0.118

Period:Tang dynasty Production date:9thC
Materials:silk, 絲綢 (Chinese),
Technique:painted
Subjects:bodhisattva 菩薩 (Chinese)
Dimensions:Height: 63.70 centimetres Width: 17 centimetres

Description:
Painting of Kṣitigarbha, shown as a monk with shaven head and wearing a patchwork robe (kasaya), holding a vase. Shaven parts of head, chin and upper lip are painted blue. Inscription in cartouche. Ink and colour on silk.
IMG


Comments:EnglishFrom Whitfield 1982:The Bodhisattva, his patched robe covering both shoulders, turns towards the right, his hands forming almost the identical gesture of Fig. 88, but holding a sprinkler vase. The shaven parts of the head, chin and upper lip are blue. The features are altogether Chinese, and convey an impression of benevolence and compassion through the gentleness of the curves. The hands are partly outlined in red. Lines of small white dots across the right shoulder and falling from the left seem to mark the passage of a narrow stole which, however, does not obscure the brightly coloured patches with their wavy ink lines, reminiscent of the moiré patterns formed when light passes through two layers of textile. In some areas the silk seems to be left without any colour, as in the background to another painting of Ksitigarbha, holding a cintāmani and altogether more robust, wearing an ordinary robe in strong contrasts of green and red and pale blue (Fig. 93). This last painting also outlines parts of the hands in red, and despite their outward differences, the two must be close in date, probably towards the end of the ninth century. ChineseFrom Whitfield 1982:此菩薩將衲衣披在兩肩上，面向右前方，雙手的姿勢幾乎與Fig.88的相同，只是多了一個淨瓶。剃了髮的頭，下顎和上唇塗了藍色，相貌特征完完全全是中國人，以柔和的曲線傳達出慈悲和哀憐的神情。雙手的部分輪廓線用紅色。從右肩斜向下到左肩有一條由白色小點組成的線，好像記錄了這段窄的綬帶，鮮豔的顔色搭配他們墨色的波浪線，無論如何都是明顯的，暗示當光線透過兩層織物時形成了雲紋綢(moiré patterns)，某些局部地方絹上已經看不出任何顔色了，就象另一個地藏菩薩的背景——他手持寶珠，更加健壯魁偉，穿著普通的紅、綠、淺藍強烈對比的袈裟。最後一幅畫的手的部分的輪廓線仍然使用紅色，盡管外表有區別，但他們的時代非常接近，很可能都是9世紀晚期的作品。