디지털 이미지를 활용한 P.4524 <降魔變文> 그림두루마리 분석

Abstract

This paper analyzes key scenes of the only scroll depicted in pictures, "Xiang-mo Bian wen 降魔變文" picture scroll from the perspective of digital manuscript studies and performance. The "Xiang-mo Bian wen" picture scroll is currently housed at the National Library of France(BnF) with the material number P.4524. It is estimated to have been produced in the late 8th to 9th centuries during the Tang Dynasty. Digital images of this scroll are accessible through the International Dunhuang Project (IDP) of the British Library, and can also be directly examined on the Gallica project website of the National Library of France. This paper used the Gallica project's materials for their clearer images. "Xiang-mo Bian wen" not only exhibits the most typical characteristics of Bian wen in terms of form but also has sufficient value as a popular literature or popular cultural product of the Tang Dynasty in terms of its tense content and expression of sentences. The P.4524 picture scroll depicts six scenes based on "Xiang-mo Bian wen", illustrating a magical confrontation between Sariputra 舍利佛 and Liushi Waidao 六師外道. However, the sixth scene is partially preserved on the right side, allowing confirmation of only five scenes. These scenes all depict different confrontations in a very dramatic way. This paper infers how such dramatic scenes were conveyed to the audience through the evidence present in the manuscript itself. The focus is particularly on the placement of the subjects of confrontation within the composition of a single episode. The paper then explains the effects such placement might have had during actual performances. Additionally, it examines the role of tree images demarcating the scenes and their relationship with the poetic verses on the back of the scroll. These discussion represents an approach that simultaneously considers the textual and illustrative aspects of "Xiang-mo Bian wen" from the perspective of performance .