painting; 繪畫(Chinese) BM-1919-0101-0.160

Period:Tang dynasty Production date:800-848 (circa)
Materials:paper, 紙 (Chinese),
Technique:painted
Subjects:bodhisattva lotus 菩薩 (Chinese) 蓮花 (Chinese)
Dimensions:Height: 30 centimetres Width: 26 centimetres

Description:
Painted figure of Avalokiteśvara in female form, holding a lotus in each hand. One stroke of the donor’s Tibetan inscription is visible below the line at bottom right. Ink and colour on paper.
IMG


Comments:EnglishFrom Whitfield 1983:This painting and those in the following two plates (Stein 168* and 169*), which are both inscribed in Tibetan, are all very similar, and quite unlike any of the rest of the material from Dunhuang at present known. All three have broad margins painted in brown and similar canopies and nimbi. Although the top and bottom of this painting have been lost, one stroke remains of the donor’s inscription in Tibetan at the bottom right, below a horizontal line, as in the other two.Avalokitesvara, in female form, and holding a lotus in either hand, is seated on a yellow lotus, the feet just crossed at the ankles. The figure is drawn in fine lines with slight modulation and a preference for smoothly flowing curves, echoed in the lotus stems. The hair falls in separate ringlets on the shoulders; a transparent shawl crosses the breast and another, striped in brown, passes behind the shoulders and falls closely round the arms. Ornaments, such as the necklace and pendants, bracelets round the wrists and ankles, and the armlets above the elbows, are in ink alone. The canopy is lost, but enough can be seen of one of its tassels to show that it resembled those of the next two plates. ChineseFrom Whitfield 1983:此圖和和下面的兩幅圖都錄有吐蕃文字，繪法都非常相似，在目前所知道的敦煌畫資料中，是不屬於其他任何群體的極爲特殊的作品。三件都有塗有棕色的寬幅鑲邊，華蓋、頭光也極其相似。本圖中的繪畫，上端和下端缺損，畫面下方或許和另兩件一樣記有吐蕃文，在右下角橫線的下邊僅剩了一筆。此觀音菩薩像具女性的形態，兩手持蓮華，兩腳交於腳踝上，坐於黃色蓮華座上。菩薩像用流暢的曲線描繪，蓮莖的曲線也與此呼應。頭髮分成數縷的捲曲地懸在肩上，胸口搭著透明的條帛。手臂上纏繞著從肩上垂下的褐色條紋的天衣。瓔珞、腕釧、臂釧以及腳釧等裝飾品都是只用墨描繪。華蓋已遺失，可見到與下兩圖的華蓋非常相似的穗。