図版解説　文化庁保管 普賢菩薩絵像

The silk painting of “Samantabhadra”, introduced for the first time here, measures 61.4cm in height and 33.3cm in width, which is not as large as four other Heian Period Samantabhadra paintings known (those in the Tokyo National Museum, Bujō-ji, Freer Gallery, and Hosomi Collection). It is even smaller than the Kamakura painting of the same deity in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. The Bodhisattva in the painting here discussed follows the ordinary format: The figure is in the pose of adoration, seated in the three-quarters view facing left, on a lotus pedestal placed on the back of a six-tusked white elephant. The elephant resembles the one in the Tokyo National Museum piece in the manner it turns its head. The difference is that the former is taking a forward step into the void, with the suspended ornaments swinging gently, whereas the latter stands still on a platform decorated with kirikane (cut gold leaf design). The Bodhisattva has a slender feminine beauty with an oval face and sloping shoulders. This is contrasted to the imposing well-balanced body of the elephant. The height of the pedestal it carries on its back is low enough not to disturb the overall balance of proportion. Both the Bodhisattya and the elephant are painted pale red in their face and body. The white pigment applied on the reverse of the silk has kept the silk in a relatively good condition. However, it is not easy to restore the original colour scheme since the pigments have faded or tarnished. Fine, pale ink lines delineate the Bodhisattva and the elephant. The graceful colouring of the garment of the deity, mainly by cold colours, shows subdued effect, not as brilliant as that of the elephant's body. The outline and folds of the drapery in kirikane, the accessories drawn in cinnabar, and the hanging ornaments in gold and silver foil create a luxuriant atmosphere. The gold and silver foil applied to the halo behind the figure further enhances the celestial beauty of the Bodhisattva. All these characteristics epitomise the taste of the nobility of the Fujiwara Period. From the above observations, the present painting can perhaps be dated to the beginning of the latter half of the twelfth century.