From the end of the 1890s to the outbreak of the First World War, China and most of Central Asia became a duel field for artistic exploration by competing countries. They came to China, searched for art treasures from caves, palaces and the secret rooms of art dealers, and stole a large number of national treasures such as sculptures, furniture, porcelain, paintings and calligraphy...
Expeditions on the well-known ancient Silk Road, Europe and Japan Carrying the most advanced detection and camera equipment, the team began to fine-tune them in western China.
The publications about those expeditions made the Fogg Art Museum eager to try. In 1922, Landon Warner issued a statement: "The British, French, Germans, and Russians have expanded the knowledge of human history on a large scale, and they have also brought back immortal historical masterpieces from Xinjiang, China. Enriching one's own museum. In that regard, Americans have made no contribution and it has almost become a shameful thing." His statement announced the re-launch of a new round of crazy collections of China in the United States.
He ended his statement in an optimistic tone: "Even if you work on a site where there is no harvest, you will not waste much time. China is such a vast area, and we seek so many kinds of information. Diversity, it is almost impossible for us to fail. We should carry out our work on the ground and underground.”
So, in 1923, the Fogg Art Museum of Harvard University formed the Harvard, led by Warner, the director of the Museum’s Oriental Department. University Archaeological Investigation Mission. In January 1924, Warner came to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. At that time, the relics in the Mogao Grottoes cave had been divided up and wiped out. The so-called scrolls and silk paintings have become legends. Warner is not reconciled to getting nothing because of being late. When he organized the expedition team, he was determined to bring something back in Dunhuang. After a visit and inspection, he decided to use the methods of stripping the murals and relocating the colored sculptures to rob cultural relics.
In order to achieve the purpose of stealing, after Warner gave some gifts to the royal priest who guarded the Mogao Grottoes at the time, Wang Taoist agreed with him to uncover the murals. He used adhesive tapes when uncovering the murals. Laying on the surface of the murals, the exquisite works of the Tang Dynasty murals from Mogao Caves 320, 321, 323, 328, 329, 331, 335, and 372 are stripped away. This extremely simple, primitive, inferior and rude way has caused the murals to be mutilated.
Later, Warner got these two exquisite colored statues from the Taoist priests for 70 taels of silver. One is the exquisite colored sculpture of the Tang Dynasty in Cave 328 for the Buddha statue, and the other is the colored sculpture of the Northern Wei Dynasty in Cave 110. Like, these two painted sculptures are now in the Sackler Museum of Harvard University.
In 1925, Warner organized a 7-member expedition for the second expedition, and also went straight to Mogao Grottoes, preparing to use tape to rob Dunhuang murals on a large scale again. At that time, Warner brought "a large cart of cloth", and Mr. Chen Wanli, a Chinese scholar from Peking University who participated in the investigation team, became alert when he discovered it. Because of the patriotism of Chinese scholars and the protection of local people, Warner was defeated in this conspiracy, and three days after "visiting here", he left Dunhuang griefly. But in the eyes of the awakened Chinese, this is a successful declaration of the defense of Dunhuang and Yulin Grotto cultural relics, and it has begun to close the door for "foreigners to steal Dunhuang".
In a seminar held in Dunhuang in 2004, Fan Jinshi, director of the Dunhuang Academy, requested that all cultural relics taken from the Dunhuang site be returned. That seems unlikely, because they have been scattered in more than a dozen collections around the world. The Fogg Art Museum insisted that they had paid in full for the Warner artifacts and had invoices as evidence.
The era of Warner's activities is completely different from today. In that era, foreigners went through untold hardships to take away cultural relics, and they had a conventional justification for their actions: the Chinese did not pay attention to them and wanted to destroy those cultural relics. Ironically, it is precisely because those cultural relics appear in Western collections that the initiatives of today's cultural relics protectors have been promoted. This controversial history finally has a positive ending. In 1994, the International Dunhuang Project initiated the digitization of Dunhuang cultural relics. Currently, people can access a wide range of materials through online networks, and search thousands of photos in the database. In 6 museums and librariesWith participation and cooperation, the cultural relics recorded in the project include not only the Dunhuang Thousand Buddha Caves, but also other sites along the Silk Road. Conservation and restoration experts of the British Library in London restored Dunhuang manuscripts in a temperature-controlled facility.
|stolen彩塑|
Mogao Caves Cave 3287 Tang Dynasty Painted#4a1a#
This cave was excavated in the early Tang Dynasty. The surface of the cave is square, the top of the cave is bucket-shaped, the center is painted with the pattern of a lotus and a lotus, and the four patterns are painted with a pattern of chess and group of flowers; the open niche on the west wall is painted and combined, showing Buddhas, disciples, and Bodhisattvas are painted with pictures of Maitreya on the top of the niche; the north wall of the south wall and the upper part of the east wall are the Pure Land Transformation, and the bottom of the east wall is the eight-body offering bodhisattva of the Xixia period.
The group statues in the Buddhist niches on the west wall are exquisite sculptures in the Tang Dynasty. They are exquisitely crafted, lifelike in appearance, and have both form and spirit. They have high artistic value. The central Shakyamuni sits on the lotus throne. Saying the phase, wearing a Tianxiang robes, with the right hand raised flat, making the seal of fearlessness, and the left hand touching the knee. The Buddha statue is rich in shape, majestic and dignified, and looks down through the eyes, giving a sense of intimacy. The folds of the clothes that changed with the movements of the Buddha's arm are very delicate, knotting the legs and wrapped feet, making the horizontal folds of the robes dense and dense, and rich in rhythm.
On both sides of the Buddha statue are two disciples of the Buddha Kassapa and Ananda. On the left is Kayah. He is the first of the ten disciples of Shakyamuni, and he is called "the first to be the first" because he wants to be contented. This statue of Kassapa with tightly furrowed eyebrows, skinny, dressed in a water-patterned robes, standing upright, with his hands folded, showing the solemn and reverent look of an elderly monk.
On the right is the statue of Ananda. Ananda is the cousin of Buddha Shakyamuni. He converted to Buddhism at the age of 19 and served the Buddha for 25 years. He has heard the Dharma more and is better than memory. He is called "the first to hear more." This Ananda is like Ananda dressed in a gorgeous cassock. His body is slightly slanted, and his hands are caged in his sleeves. He stands with his head high. His face is plump and his eyes are slightly open. He seems to be listening to the Dharma in a trance. His attitude is free and easy, and he is magnificent and luxurious. juvenile.
On both sides of the disciples are two bodhisattvas, with a graceful and natural posture. With one leg crossed on the lotus seat, one leg drooping, and one foot on the lotus, it is a leisurely "game seat". The bun is tall, the face is plump, the hands are delicate, the chest is decorated with 珞珞, the waist is surrounded by brocade skirts, the shape is soft and dignified, expressing the wisdom and depth of the Bodhisattva.
The outside of the niche is a three-body and half-kneeling offering bodhisattva, kneeling on the lotus platform with hands together palms. The body is slender, with a long crown, and the look is reverent and quiet, the temperament is dignified and elegant, and the shape is rigorous and meticulous, which fully expresses the bodhisattva listening to the Dharma , The worship and admiration of the Buddha from the heart.
Mogao Grotto 328th Cave 1 Tang Dynasty a7d#4 Statue
4 Art Museum/Sackler MuseumThis Bodhisattva was originally located on the south side of the niche. It was stolen by American Warner in 1924 and is now in the Sackler Museum of Harvard University.
Mogao Grotto 110 Cave Northern Wei Dynasty Colored Sculpture Flying
Dimensions: 26.9 x 12.5 cm
Harvard Art Museum/Sackler Museum
| 被偷Mural |
Mogao Cave 320 South Wall Tang Dynasty Mural
Size: 73.7x58.4cm
Fog Art Museum of Harvard University
Murals of Half-Body Bodhisattva of Tang Dynasty on the South Wall of Mogao Grottoes 320 Cave
Size: 37 x 29.2cm
Harvard ArtMuseum/Sackler Museum
Mogao Grottoes 335 South Wall of the Tang Dynasty Bodhisattva Head Mural
Dimensions: 37 x 43.5cm
Harvard Art Museum/Sackler Museum
Tang Dynasty frescoes on the north wall of Cave 329 of Mogao Grottoes
Size: 52.5x26.4cm
Harvard Art Museum/Sackler Museum
Mogao Grotto 335 South Wall Mural Kneeling Bodhisattva
Dimensions: 46.7 x 47.2cm
Harvard Art Museum/Sackler Museum
Mogao Grotto 335 South Wall Tang On behalf of the Bodhisattva mural
Dimensions: 47.2 x 46.7cm
Harvard Art Museum/Sackler Museum
Mogao Cave 321 North Wall Tang Dynasty Mural
Size: 51.5x 31cm
Harvard Art Museum/Sackler Museum
Mogao Cave 321 North Wall Half-body Bodhisattva Mural
Size: 35.3 x 63cm
Harvard Art Museum/Sackler Museum
Mogao Cave 323 Tang Dynasty Buddhist Historical Relics Mural
Dimensions: 50.8 x 94 cm
Harvard Art Museum/Sackler Museum
Murals of the Tang Dynasty on the north side of the east wall of Cave 323 in Mogao Grottoes
Size: 33 x 36cm
Harvard Art Museum/ Sackler Museum
Because the Americans used chemical glue, many exquisite murals were permanently destroyed. According to Chang Shuhong, the former director of the Dunhuang Institute of Cultural Relics, 26 murals of the Chusheng Tang Grottoes that were glued and damaged by the Americans from the Thousand Buddha Caves, totaling 32006 square meters, are still very clear. . Because the chemical glue was used, the damage was irreversible, and the murals that could not be glued were completely destroyed. Today, when I walked into the Dunhuang Grottoes, where the murals were uncovered, there were still white square cuts and blackened glue drops. Even Japanese scholars who also have the heart to steal are also saddened by it.
|敦煌大贼|
Since the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1900), Taoist Wang Yuanlu discovered the Mogao Caves (now Cave 17) by chance. , The British Stein first entered Dunhuang in 1907 and began to steal, and then the Frenchman Boschwa, the Japanese Otani Mitsui expedition, the Russian Oldenburg, and the American Warner came to Dunhuang one after another to deceive them. "Purchase" the documents and precious cultural relics of the Buddhist scripture cave from Wang Taoist priests at very low prices.
These people have received Western higher education, and are even the so-called famous university professors or senior museum officials in Western countries, but they have wolf-like ambitions and cruel methods.
Stein(1862-1943)
British explorer, originally from Hungary, was born in a Jewish family in Budapest. On March 12, 1907, Stein arrived in Dunhuang. He was the first foreigner to come to Dunhuang Buddhist scripture cave. With the cooperation of his assistant Jiang Xiaowan, Stein exchanged 4 bars of horseshoe silver (about 200 taels of silver) for 24 boxes of manuscripts and 5 boxes of carefully wrapped paintings, embroidery products and other artistic artifacts. In 1914, Stein came to the Buddhist scripture cave for the second time and bought more than 600 scriptures again, filled withFull 5 large boxes. The documents and silk paintings he took away are known for being well preserved.
Boshihe (1878-1945)
Professor of Sinology at the French Far East College. He is the second foreigner to enter the Tibetan scripture cave. On February 12, 1908, Bosihe came to Mogao Grottoes. Because the door of the Buddhist scriptures cave was locked, Bosihe numbered, measured, photographed, and copied various written inscriptions in all the caves. The first comprehensive and detailed investigation of the Gao Grottoes was also the first large-scale photography. On March 3, Pershing entered the Tibetan scripture cave. He had a good foundation in Sinology. Facing these tens of thousands of precious documents, he immediately calculated it, and then made up his mind to read them all. He flipped through 1,000 volumes a day, spent three weeks in the Buddhist scripture cave, and finally selected several thousand volumes and smuggled them to Paris.
Japan’s Otani Mitsurui Expedition
The Otani Expedition is a Central Asian expedition organized by Mitsui Otani, the 22nd Sovereign of the West Hongan Temple of the Pure Land Buddhism of Japan. Three investigations and expeditions in Northwest China. On October 5, 1911, the Japanese Otani Mitsuhiro expedition composed of Tachibana Ruichao and Yoshikawa Koichiro arrived in Dunhuang and left on February 7 of the following year. They stayed in Dunhuang for more than three months. They took away 600 treasures, including Buddhist scriptures, acquired from royal Taoist priests and other sources. These were all fine pieces selected from Wang Yuanzhen’s private treasures. According to Yoshikawa Koichiro’s diary, they said "On October 23, I bought the two exquisitely crafted and minimally damaged Buddha statues in the cave and negotiated with the monks."
Earl Otani Mitsurui is the master of Nishihonganji Temple in Japan, and he has visited the countries mentioned. In the expedition, there are only a strip of water in Japan. This expedition has Buddhists. Their financial basis is the charity of nearly 10 million Japanese believers. Therefore, the activities of the Otani expedition are similar to private ones. Unlike the other branches are funded by government agencies. Mitsuzu Otani is the eldest son of Mitsuson Tani, the 21st of Nishihonganji in Kyoto, and the 22nd suzerain of Nishihonganji. In 1900, he was sent to Europe to investigate religion and saw the achievements of Sven Hedin, Stein, Percy and others in Central Asia. He decided to use his return journey to explore Central Asia, thus opening the prelude to Japan's inspection of Northwest China.
Oldenburg (1863-1934)
Russian explorer, professor of the Department of Oriental Languages, Petersburg University. On August 20, 1914, the Oldenburg delegation arrived at Thousand Buddha Caves and immediately started work as planned. During their stay in Dunhuang, they studied the murals and colored sculptures in the caves in detail, and carefully carried out photography, redrawing, painting, surveying and mapping, archaeological clean-up, excavation and recording, and even made works on the northern area of Mogao Grottoes that few people pay attention to. I completed the archaeological cleanup, and drew the plan of the cliff face of the north and south areas of Mogao Grottoes for the first time. The workload, the seriousness and meticulous attitude, and the fruitful harvest are amazing. This can be said to be the first comprehensive study of Mogao Grottoes. The delegation returned to China on January 26, 1915, and took away the horizontal sections of 443 caves in Thousand Buddha Caves, more than 2,000 photographs, some murals, dozens of colored sculptures, and hundreds of paintings. , Detailed data records, and also took away various cultural relics excavated from the caves in the north and south regions of Mogao Grottoes, plus cultural relics purchased locally, such as various paintings, scriptures, etc., are full A few large vehicles left the Thousand Buddha Cave in a mighty manner.
After the Oldenburg delegation returned to China, the materials they obtained were divided into two parts: the documents were handed over to the Asian Museum (today the St. Petersburg branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies); artworks, topographic surveying and mapping materials, ethnological materials, and survey records The diary, etc. are deposited in the Russian Museum, the Museum of Ethnology, the Geographical Society and other museums, and then all are collected in the Oriental Department of the Hermitage Museum. The Dunhuang documents and artworks currently hidden in the Oriental Department of the Hermitage Museum mainly include sculptures, murals, silk paintings, paper paintings, linen paintings and silk fabrics. Among them are 66 banner paintings, 137 silk paintings, 43 paper paintings, 14 murals, 28 colored sculptures, 58 fabrics, and nearly 2,000 photos. There are about 200 Buddhist scriptures in the St. Petersburg branch of the Oriental Institute.00 pieces.
Warner(1881-1955)
Langdon Warner (Langdon Warner), a famous explorer and archaeologist in modern America, is also notorious Thief of Dunhuang cultural relics. Born in 1881 in a family of lawyers in Massachusetts, USA, he graduated from Harvard University in 1903, and returned to his alma mater Harvard University in 1905 to study archeology for one year. After 1906, he studied in Japan, specializing in Buddhist art. In 1910, he investigated Buddhist art in North Korea and Japan. In 1913, he opened an oriental art course at Harvard University for the first time. In 1916, Huawei's newly established Cleveland Art Museum collected Chinese cultural relics. In 1923, he returned to Harvard and served as the director of the Oriental Department of the Fogg Art Museum. Then he organized an archaeological team to Dunhuang, China, stripped off more than 10 fine Tang Dynasty frescoes of Mogao Grottoes, and stole the 328th cave painting sculptures to support the Buddha.
Langdon Warner is a tall man with blue eyes and red hair. He is a likable scholar like the adventurous protagonist in Spielberg's films. In the 1920s, in order to collect collections for the Fogg Art Museum, he led a team to China twice to carry out hunting and collection tours for the Fogg Art Museum. He wears iconic boots, a Stetson hat, a stylish beard, and a domineering style. It is said that he is one of the character prototypes of the movie "Indiana Jones". However, in terms of pedigree and education, Warner is not a cowherd baby. He comes from the Boston Brahman family who is proud of his descent. His mother’s family originated from Sir John Dudley, who served as the Royal Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His father's family originated from Roger Sherman, the founder of American laws and regulations such as the "Declaration of Independence", "U.S. Federal Regulations", "U.S. Constitution", and "American Bill of Rights". Warner's uncle is Congressman George Hall (Republican Party of Massachusetts). After entering Harvard University, the young Warner played boat racing, served as the editor of the literary magazine "Harvard University Encouragement", joined the "Quick Pudding Club" and "Seal and Chronicle Society", and also won the title of class poet. After graduating, he married Loren Dremicos Roosevelt in the yard of Roosevelt's home in Oyster Bay, New York, who was the daughter of the cousin of US President Theodore Roosevelt.
Attached: Warner China Trip
Publications about those expeditions harvested, prompting Fogg Art Museum to be eager to try. From 1923 to 1924, the museum carried out the first "reconnaissance tour" to Dunhuang, Gansu province in western China. At first, they took the train to Henan and the journey went smoothly. There, the two met with local warlord Wu Peifu and his 30 staff. Wu Peifu and others had dinner with Warner and Jayne, and there was a band playing military music next to them. Commander Wu is known for "not talking back to Beijing", and he provided 10 armed escorts for the two of them on their next trip. Accompanied by the translator Wang Jinren and the chef known as the "little boy", the Warner and Jayne expedition team used the American flag to declare their nationality. The American flag was processed by four local tailors in Henan Province. It was also decorated with the "horse steak" pattern used by the expedition, which is a springless two-wheeled carriage. Subsequently, the expedition headed for Xi'an.
In September, Warner and Jayne stayed in Xi'an for 4 days. They enjoyed the country-style hot springs there, rummaged in the antique shop, and purchased a series of rubbings with the vermilion seal of the Governor of Zhili who had just lost his head. At the same time, they were introduced to local officials and learned of the situation along the way. When leaving the ancient capital of Xi'an and its surrounding ancient sites, they still held up the American Stars and Stripes, but gave up armed escorts. Even at that time, Xi'an was famous for its rich cultural relics (and fraud). "It will not take many years. Either tomb robbers will awkwardly excavate those mounds to provide foreign markets with the things left by their ancestors, or there will be specially approved scientists who will bring measuring rulers and cameras to come here, full of respect. Open the tombs of the emperors on the side of the Weihe River.” In 1926, in the report of that expedition, “China’s Long and Ancient Road”, Warner lamented: “Those closed mounds are scattered, endless, there are Large and small, far and near. For tomb raiders, walking through it is really an experience of exercising self-control.” (It was there, digging a well in 1974At that time, the terracotta army formation of Qin Shihuang two thousand years ago was unearthed. ) "After experiencing the temptation of about 24 kilometers", Warner and Jayne went on to Jingzhou, where the Jinghe River meets, where they stole Buddhist stone statues around the 6th century AD, most of them It is the head and torso statue. They found that the statues "have been knocked off from the original position of the Daxiong Hall."
China in the 1920s was very chaotic. In western China at that time, bandits and warlords were rampant everywhere. It takes 7 days to travel from Henan to Xi'an. Before leaving, Warner wrote: “There were 6 murders, 30 kidnappings, and countless armed robberies.” At that time, the province was already full of government troops, ready to fight back at any time. The future is full of danger, prompting Jain to tie an automatic revolver around his waist. Warner and Jayne also witnessed the execution of 3 imprisoned prisoners. Their "3 heads rolled off 3 unfortunate torsos, while soldiers walked around, waiting for someone to come and collect their bodies." . At this time, Warner and other Americans traveled through the dark mud and arrived in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. As soon as they entered the door of the small hotel, government soldiers attacked their small caravan. They "take over the carriage, the coachman and the mule", claiming that Warner and his party "have military purposes." Warner asked to visit the local official or sheriff. He yelled: "Please remember that I was a redhead before. I have seen some real big scenes, knowing that nothing will have a good result... When I was at the door of the government office, I yelled hoarsely and sent my business card. You are sleeping. Okay, please tell you that it’s time to get up. You are sleeping! Okay, tell you that one more minute, one Foreign devils will go in and help him dress and hat." Five minutes later, the local official appeared. Warner threatened for a while, sweetly spoken for a while, and handed over a letter from Marshal Wu Peifu. "Speaking of the name, the official's arm was almost immediately shortened." As a result, Warner got his wish and asked for his own things.
Dunhuang is the final destination of Warner's party. On the way, they took a detour to the ruins of Heishui City in the Gobi Desert, the "Black City of Dangxiang". Sir Olaer Stein confirmed that there is what Marco Polo referred to as Ezzyna. In 1908, Russian explorer Peter Kozlov discovered the ruins of the city, six years before Stein. According to Stein’s description, Heishui City used to be a center of Buddhist art, and its walls are still standing "in the barren land on the gravel Gobi Desert, well-preserved. It is surrounded by tamarisk bushes and two dry ones. Of the river". In 1226, the party members surrendered to the Mongolian Genghis Khan. However, only a century later, the Ming Dynasty army diverted the river by building a dam, razing the city of Heishui into ruins and abandoned the city. Ten years before the expedition arrived here at the Fogg Art Museum, Kozlov and Stein discovered that it was a treasure trove of Buddhist sculptures, manuscripts, and painted documents. The dry sand is conducive to the preservation of the site (the artifacts are currently preserved in the museums and libraries in St. Petersburg and London).
Warner arrived in Heishui City. He watched intently, and all around him was desolate and sad. The abandoned Heishui City ruins belonged to "beautiful beyond all my imagination." Although the ruins of Heishui City are remote and remote, Warner discovered that Stein and Kozlov had "sorted out every city wall and hollowed out every dusty small stupa." In Warner's entourage, there were only 4 excavation workers, 1 guide and a few camels. Nevertheless, they excavated there for 10 days and found some fragments of Buddhist murals, some small votive pagodas made of clay, an exquisite bronze mirror (Warner believes) dating from the 10th century, some small clay sculptures and Japanese Use pottery. Until a blizzard came unexpectedly, forcing them to stop digging.
When leaving Blackwater City, Warner and Jayne’s guides got lost, turning their disappointment into disaster. On Thanksgiving night, Jayne's feet got frostbite. He fell to the ground when he got off the back of the camel and could no longer stand. It took Warner and Translator Wang for 3 hours to rub Jayne's feet with snow and grease. However, Jayne fainted, his feet were covered with blisters, his legs were swollen to his knees, and he developed fever and infection. Warner was afraid that it was blood poisoning and might have to amputation. The expedition was unable to move forward. They sent Wang interpreter to the front to find a carriage, and put Jayne, who was supported by anesthetic in his sleeping bag, into the carriage. After 10 days of orbiting, they braved the cold wind and traversed the snow-covered area along the riverThe land finally arrived in Ganzhou. There, they consulted a Chinese missionary doctor and used some disinfectant for Jayne.
After a 16-day break, Warner and his party began to rush to Suzhou. After staying there for 4 days, they made a "major decision". Although Jain was determined, he still couldn't walk 100 meters. Therefore, Jayne will return to Beijing, accompanied by the wagons full of loot they collected and stored along the way. Warner continued to drive to Dunhuang. He was accompanied by Wang interpreter who is also a secretary, a coachman and 4 ponies. Warner and Jayne broke up at the crossroads of Anxi. Warner continued down the road south, Dunhuang is about 110 kilometers away deep in the desert.
On January 21, 1924, Warner arrived in Dunhuang. He found those Buddhist grottoes "more impressive than any painting I have ever seen." However, facing the hundreds of painted figures in the Cave of Thousand Buddhas, Warner became suspicious: "I am not a chemist, nor a well-trained painting restorer, just an ordinary person. What I want to do Things seem to be both blasphemous and impossible to complete." In any case, Warner covered the mural wall with the cloth soaked in the glue bucket in the presence of Taoist Wang Yuanlu, waited for it to dry, and carried out the exposure. take. In that way, he uncovered many murals from 6 caves in Dunhuang.
Warner thought of what the Germans did. In his preliminary report to the Fogg Art Museum, he declared that those murals “are the first murals that have not been severely damaged by saw marks. There is no doubt that, like any Chinese painting that has come to the United States so far, they have The same aesthetic value and historical value".
Due to the cold weather, it is difficult to uncover the murals. Warner wrote: "Glue always freezes on the wall, rather than seeping into the mural, even if I thinned the glue with hot water beforehand. Before putting the tape in place, it has cooled completely. In short, I Hope is slim.” Finally, Warner wrapped the murals with felt and paper in layers, and then tied them with rope. The cost of all Warner activities in Dunhuang is to donate US$150 to Wang Daoshi. "That was just a huge tip, which also included our food, livestock and fodder, as well as the spiritual guidance services that the royal priests provided to me.
The true essence of Warner brought back from Dunhuang is a piece of work. Michael’s painted statue of Guanyin from the Tang Dynasty. In order to get it, he had to use a hammer to knock it off the pedestal. Warner recalled that they spent “5 days, working from morning to night. And those 5 nights were a night of despair and regret for what I did.” Before loading the Guanyin statue on the car, Warner was full of affection and wrapped the statue in his underwear to cope with the 18 days of returning to Beijing. Journey. “Although I lacked underwear and socks on the return journey,” he wrote in the report, “but thinking of those things at work, making the statue’s skin fresh and smooth, and the paint flakes from being damaged, I Feeling warm inside. "
After questioning the Wang Taoist priest and his assistants and "ransacking" the Buddhist scripture cave, Warner confirmed with his translator that there were no scroll paintings or manuscripts left there. So they pulled up. Yingzhai, go back to the house.
Regarding his own transfer of artworks, Warner repeatedly defended: The Dunhuang Grottoes are difficult to reach and have been destroyed. In the 19th century, during the civil uprising, the Dunhuang Grottoes had been destroyed. Stein Both Perriot and Perriot believed that the movable cultural relics of Dunhuang would be safer in London and Paris. They expected that in the future American collectors and museum researchers would defend themselves on the same grounds. In a letter to his wife In the letter, Warner lamented: “The characters on the murals have either their eyes gouged out or their faces have deep scratches. Rows of maids pass by you, they are wearing gorgeous headdresses, but you can hardly see a complete portrait. Among the respected gods, above the throne sits Guanyin. On the carpet in front of Guanyin, there is a cute dancing girl. The layout of the entire screen is exquisite, but none of the characters are preserved intact...On those cute faces, the numbers of the (white) Russian army are painted indiscriminately. The Buddha sat upright, and from his mouth preaching the Lotus Sutra, he portrayed some foul language of the Slavs. "For those Slavic graffiti, Warner blamed the Chinese's indifference to Dunhuang. He wrote to a friend: "Thinking of the virtues of vandalism, I will not hesitate to expose all the murals there. Get fineLight. Does anyone know when the Chinese army will be stationed there like the Belarusian army? To make matters worse, how long will the unrest there last? In another twenty years, Dunhuang will become worthless. "
Nonetheless, in the formal report to the president and directors of Harvard University, Warner said nothing about revealing the murals. At the Fogg Art Museum, those murals were transferred to Daniel Wa In the hands of Ni Thompson. He is a student of Forbes and an expert in cultural relics protection. Thompson once suggested that Warner use a "stripping technique", that is, only peeling the surface of the mural from the wall. He himself used it on European murals In 1974, in an interview, Thompson admitted that his attempt to restore the Dunhuang murals was not very successful: "Warner did not use weak and weak glue. The glue he used was so thick that it was almost impossible to handle. The walls inside the cave were cold, and the glue quickly formed jelly on them. "Later, Sanchita Barracandran, a cultural relics protection expert, quoted Thompson's report. He mentioned examples of the mural "Bust of Admirer" and other examples: "The tape became abnormally slack and no color was glued. It can only be said that the colors above are less than expected. "In fact, the faces of the figures in the murals have completely disappeared. The image of a dancer should be "the most hopeless restoration". It is so damaged that it is difficult to enter the Fogg Art Museum collection. Balachandran has tried twice Repairing the picture, trying to separate the color of the mural from the tape, but to no avail. Because the "image features of the mural have been completely destroyed."
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