banner;
textile;
painting;
幡(Chinese);
紡織品(Chinese);
繪畫(Chinese)
- Museum number
- MAS.888
- Description
-
This is a square damask piece, originally a head for a banner which has been folded in half and painted with two Buddhas, each seated on a lotus. The textile is white twill damask showing half of a lion over 40 cm long, with only the head and tail still visible. This design was previously misinterpreted by Stein as a floral pattern, and Roderick Whitfield as phoenixes. The lion may be in a crouching or walking position, as seen in a paper painting found in Cave 17. There is a small pattern to the left of the lion, probably a stone, and another opposite the head, and symmetrically repeated along the warp direction. However, there is no woven pattern where the lion’s body should be, indicating that this is probably the beginning of the fabric. There is a similar banner head in the V&A loan collection: a similar image of the Buddha is painted on a different woven damask image of the lion (LOAN:STEIN.490). On the basis of the style of the painting, Roderick Whitfield dated this piece to the Five Dynasties.
Weave structures:
Warp: silk, untwisted, single, 51 ends/cm; Weft: silk, untwisted, single, 28 lats/cm. Weave structure: 1/5S twill pattern on 2/1S twill ground.
這件正方形的織物原是一件幡首，對折後的兩個三角形區域內各繪一坐於蓮座上的佛像。
繪畫的底料是白色同向綾，綾上所織的圖案斯坦因認爲是花卉，韋陀在《西域美術》中認爲是鳳凰，但實際上應該是半個獅紋，僅見獅頭和獅尾，獅身橫向長達40cm以上，可能作蹲狀或行走狀，其造型可能與敦煌藏經洞發現的另一件紙本獅紋繪畫相似。獅尾後還另有一紋樣已殘，可能爲山石之類。獅頭以上沿經線方向還有一對稱的獅紋，僅見頭部。獅身處僅是素織，或許爲機頭。類似的幡首在與V&A博物館中也有收藏（LOAN:STEIN.490），也是手繪蓮花座佛，但其白綾的圖案卻所有不同。根據繪畫的風格，韋陀在《西域美術》中將這件織物的年代定在五代。
組織結構：
經線：絲，無撚，單根排列，51根/cm；緯線：絲，無撚，單根排列，28根/cm；組織：2/1S斜紋地上1/5S斜紋顯花。
- Production date
- 10thC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 58.50 centimetres (Mounted on padded board)
-
Height: 54 centimetres
-
Thickness: 2 centimetres (Mounted on padded board)
-
Width: 58.50 centimetres (Mounted on padded board)
-
Width: 54 centimetres
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2010, Feb-June, Essen, Ruhrland Museum, The Great Game
2017 Nov 8-tbc, BM G33 Hotung Gallery, 1st rotation
- Acquisition date
- 1917
- Acquisition notes
- The 1917-11-28 group (with MAS numbering) refers to objects from Stein's Second Central Asian Expedition, 1906-08. As the expedition was financed 3/ 5 by the Government of India and 2/5 by the British Museum, it was agreed that the finds from the expedition should be allocated in these proportions. All the finds were shipped to London for sorting, research and publication, and subsequent distribution. The distribution of the finds between London and India was determined by specialists, appointed by the Government of India (through the India Office, London) and the British Museum, who drew up lists of the objects for approval by both sides. The specialists included: Raphael Petrucci, under supervision of Dr E Denison Ross (nominated by India Office) and Laurence Binyon (British Museum) on paintings; Dr F W Thomas, Dr E Denison Ross (both nominated by India Office) and Dr L D Barnett (British Museum) on manuscripts and written documents; Dr E Denison Ross (nominated by India Office) and Laurence Binyon (British Museum) on archaeological/other finds. Although the lists were drawn up and approved in 1915, the Government of India asked the British Museum to look after the entire collection during the First World War, and those allocated to India were eventually shipped in 1919.
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- MAS.888
- Additional IDs
-
Miscellaneous number: Ch.xxi.003 (Stein no.)
