British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences
A HUNDRED YEARS OF DUNHUANG, 1907-2007
Abstract
Dunhuang and its place in world history and culture
Professor Roderick Whitfield, School of Oriental and African Studies
A considerable number of fragments of silk paintings from Mogao Cave 17 in the Stein Collection of the British Museum were recently mounted.
Originally opened out at the author's request by Alf Crowley, they were studied in detail by the author between 1984 and 1995. While many are
too small to be useful other than as samples of silks and pigments, others can be related to existing paintings in the British Museum and in
other collections such as the Musee Guimet and the National Museum, New Delhi, and are thus of considerable value. The paper examines and
repositions some noteworthy examples.