344 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. X. 



same way as lotus-flowers are carved under his feet in our picture. 

 This statue is celebrated all over Tibet and alluded to in Tibetan history 

 (G. Huth, Geschichte des Buddhismus in der Morigolei, Vol. II, p. 414, 

 Strassburg, 1896). There, it is referred to a prophecy related in the 

 Sutra of the Predictions of the Elephant-Mountain. This notice is 

 important, as it will possibly lead along the right track in discovering 

 the legend which forms the basis of the picture under consideration. 



The Bodhisatva has alighted from the animal and is standing on the 

 left of it with folded hands; his smiling face is bearded, and his head is 

 tonsured. A flower seems to merge from behind his left shoulder. 1 

 He wears the long flowing monk's garb. There is a monk in front of 

 him, gazing at the elephant, turning his shaven head to the spectator. 

 A boy is carrying on his right shoulder a package of sacred books sur- 

 mounted by a flaming jewel, and is leaning his left on his bent knee in 

 order to relieve the weight of his burden. In the background on the 

 left, we notice three worshippers praying with their hands folded, a 

 monk and two laymen, or gods, as supposed in the Ku yil t'u p'u. The 

 animal turning its nose with a certain admiration toward the elephant 

 has one horn and a scaly body; it is doubtless introduced as an inferior 

 creature to illustrate the superiority of the sacred elephant in all his 

 glory. His head is bridled, but he seems to feel quite cheerful over the 

 situation. A queer-looking attendant pours streams of water out of a 

 jar over his back, and a youthful boy in a kneeling posture, clad only 

 with an apron, is engaged in sweeping his back with a broom. 



The composition of this little picture is admirable. The elephant's 

 brushing is placed in the centre of the scene, and everything radiates 

 from this action, all participants fixing their attention on this point, 

 either adoring or admiring the jolly monster. Simplicity predominates, 

 and superfluous additions liable to detiact the attention of the looker-on 

 are wisely discarded. There is no scenery for background, except the 

 ornamental clouds hanging above and stretching below. The unity 

 of the composition is strictly adhered to in the accentuation of the one 

 sacred act, a touch of serene humor being spread over the whole. Anoth- 



that this was really the case under the T'ang. Notable here is the bright intelligent 

 smile in the elephant's face; he is squatting on the ground and wears gold earrings. 

 The Bodhisatva, of white skin, adorned with all royal ornaments, double earrings, a 

 feminine hairdressing with gold pin, coral brooch and lotus, is seated on the ele- 

 phant's back, the left foot hanging down, the right one drawn up, reading in a book 

 of brown leaves inscribed with characters in gold. — Of Chinese literature on the 

 Ngo-mei shan, the Ngo shan t'u shuo (2 Vols., 1889) deserves special mention; it 

 contains a series of good wood-engravings depicting all the scenery and temples of 

 this place of pilgrimage. 



1 Judging from the painting of Wu Tao-tse, it is a lotus stuck into his hair. Note 

 the difference between the two pictures: there, he is the god in full apparel and of 

 feminine appearance; here, he is the bearded monk with tonsure and without jewels. 



