File:Ruins of desert Cathay - personal narrative of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China (1912) (14596498030).jpg

Identifier: ruinsofdesertcat01stei (find matches)
Title: Ruins of desert Cathay : personal narrative of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Stein, Aurel, Sir, 1862-1943 Archaeological Survey of India
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Macmillan
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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of losing sight of the connection betweenfragments which had fallen close together, and might formparts of the same composition. So it was essential tosecure as exact a record as possible of the condition andplace in which these superimposed fragments of fine wallpainting were found before attempting their separation andrescue. Detailed descriptive notes and photography were themeans available; but both offered difficulties of their own.All day it was bitterly cold, and icy gusts from the northsoon benumbed my hands as I kept crouching in crampedpositions, busy with endless measuring and scribbling ofpencilled notes. These had then in the evening to beworked out and transferred in ink to my diary under theshelter of my tent. Photographic work was scarcely lesstrying. The whole width of the circular passage was onlyfour feet eight inches, and the consequent want of spacenecessitated extraordinary positions for the camera, andstill more troublesome twistings for myself if a sufficiently
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143- FRESCO PIECE FROM FRIEZE OF RUINED BUDDHIST SHRINE M. III., MIRAN SITE. Scale, one-sixth. The piece, originally found in several fragments, represents Gautama Bodhisattva in teaching pose, withprincely worshipper. Painted on background of Pompeian red. CH. xLi RESCUE OF FALLEN FRESCOES 463 large surface was to be covered with my wide-angle lensand bad distortion avoided. As I grovelled amidst thesand and clay debris on the floor adjusting the levels ofthe camera, focusing the lens, etc., the temporary pro-tection from the wind which the focusing cloth securedfor my face seemed but a scant comfort; but even for thatI felt grateful. It was no easy task to complete these preliminaryrecords within the short hours while the winter day gaveadequate light low down in the confined passage of theruined temple. In the meantime the men from Abdalhad been kept busy under old Mullahs direction indragging from the riverine jungle trunks of dead Toghrakswhich were to be sawn up and turned into

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