-
Avalokitesvara as Saviour from Perils
法華經普門品變相圖
Northern Song dynasty, dated 4th year of Jianlong 建隆 （A.D. 963）
Ink and colours on silk
H.107.0 cm, W.61.5 cm
British Museum, Stein painting 24. Ch. xxi.001
See also Fig.28
This is an interesting and well-painted work with some unusual features considering its late date. Avalokitesvara, standing in the centre, is reminiscent of scenes of the Buddha preaching at the Vulture Peak, by reason of the large almond-shaped aureole. Its strong banding of green, red, yellow and blue, without other decorative designs, contains and unifies the figure and its flowing scarves. Avalokitesvara holds a sprinkler vase in his left hand, while his right holds a lotus stem crowned by the “parent” figure of Amitabha. This figure is thus given special prominence, by appearing to one side instead of centrally in the headdress. The headdress itself has red, purple and blue flowers among the gold-coloured ornament, and upward-fluttering ribbons. The outer ring of the halo is rich purple with flames drawn in ink.
This richness and variety is continued in the top part of the painting where apsarasas scattering flowers and incense (Pl. 25-2) are seen in varied attitudes on either side of the elaborate canopy, with long scarves floating in graceful curves. Below, on either side of main figure, the various Perils illustrated also seem to display rather more originality than those of, for instance, Pl. 18. At the top left, a man is seen being chased by an armoured rider with a sword; a figure is seen drowning; a lady in flowered red trousers is fleeing from a wolf; and a man in a purple jacket is being pursued by a lean yellow leopard.
From the top right are a man in stocks; a man fleeing with a camel (perhaps this is a variant of the storm theme seen in other paintings); and finally a boy in a mauve flowered jacket, set upon by a bearded man with a sword (Pl. 25-3). These seven scenes are all set in a fairly simple landscape of red and green (which has generally corroded the silk), with spindly trees indicated in ink on the skylines, and other sparse vegetation. Unlike the lively interest of the figures, this landscape is unmistakably tenth century in character, as of course are the donor figures below, joined by a small child next to the central inscription (Fig.28).
北宋時期，建隆四年（963年）題記
絹本設色
高107.0釐米 寬61.5釐米
英国博物館,斯坦因繪畫24.Ch.xxi.001
參照Fig.28
本畫描摹精致，它所具有的一些宋代畫中少見的特點也頗引人注意。站在中央的觀音，被杏仁形的大型身光環繞，使人想起《靈鷲山釋迦說法圖》。其身光只以明快的綠、紅、黃、青色的帶構成，沒有其他裝飾花紋，佛像和天衣完全被圍在裏面。觀音左手提淨瓶，右手持頂上有化佛的蓮莖。因此化佛沒有出在寶冠中央，卻出現在靠近一側的位置上，是此像極爲特殊的地方。頭上有金色的寶冠和向上方飄揚的彩帶，其間裝飾有紅、紫、青等色的花。頭光最外側的圓是深紫色的，其上有墨描的火焰紋。
如此複雜細緻富於變化的表現，在畫面上部也可見到。在那裏，精巧描繪的華蓋兩側，有散花的飛天和持香爐的飛天，他們形態各異，長長的天衣在空中呈現出美麗的曲線。其下方主尊的兩旁，畫著種種危難的圖，它們與圖18中的危難圖等相比，則可以說是非常接近經典的描繪。
左側的上部，有身穿鎧甲的騎馬武士，揮刀追趕一個男子，其下方連著表現的是溺水的人物。還有穿紅花褲子的女人被狼追趕，接著是穿紫色上衣的男子被瘦弱的黃色豹追趕等場面。右側從上方開始，是帶枷和腳銬的男子、牽著駱駝逃離的男子（這也可能是其他作品中暴雨主題的變形）、身穿淡紫色花衣的少年被有鬍鬚的持刀男人追趕等場面（參照圖25－3）。
此七個場景，是在天際線上只用墨線描繪的細長樹木，其它草地用紅色和綠色（此顔料一般會腐蝕絹底），描繪簡單的山水畫中展現的。除了人物表現生動這一點外，山水的表現、下段的供養人像、題記旁邊的童子像，的確像是10世紀的表現風格。