A Note on the terminology of painting in Old Uyghur

Year 2021, Volume: 3 Issue: 2, 165 - 176, 31.12.2021

Jens Wilkens

https://doi.org/10.46614/ijous.1033294

Abstract

Uyghur murals and miniatures are among the most frequently reproduced works of art in academic and popular books on the ‘Silk Road’. However, written Old Uyghur sources about the process of painting are rare. In a text edited by Peter Zieme in 2017 and reprinted in a collection of his articles issued in 2020 the work of a skilled painter is described in a series of metaphors. The Old Uyghur manuscript found at Dunhuang preserves some Chinese technical terms in the form of loanwords. The article aims to elucidate the etymology of a hitherto unexplained verb and suggests the interpretation that the Uyghurs were familiar with the technique of pounces to sketch the outlines of a painting.

Keywords

Old Uyghur, Chinese, painting, pounces, Silk Road, Central Asian Buddhism, etymology, lexicography

Supporting Institution

Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Göttingen

Thanks

I would like to express my gratitude to Hans Nugteren for reading a draft of the article and making valuable suggestions. I would also like to thank Peter Zieme for making his forthcoming article “Baumwolle und Indigo” (2022) accessible to me and Sarah E. Fraser for kindly sending me a copy of her 1999 article.

Eski Uygurcadaki Resim Terminolojisi Üzerine Bir Not

Abstract

Uygur duvar resimleri ve minyatürleri, ‘İpek Yolu’ ile ilgili akademik ve popüler kitaplarda en sık kopyası çıkarılan sanat eserleri arasındadır; fakat resim yapma süreciyle ilgili yazılı Eski Uygurca kaynaklar pek nadirdir. Peter Zieme tarafından 2017 yılında yayımlanmış ve 2020 senesinde makale külliyatında yeniden basılmış olan bir metinde yetenekli bir ressamın eseri bir dizi metaforla tasvir edilmiştir. Dunhuang’da bulunmuş olan Eski Uygurca el yazması, birkaç Çince teknik terimi ödünçleme sözcük şeklinde muhafaza etmiştir. Bu makale, şimdiye kadar açıklanamayan bir fiilin etimolojisini aydınlatmayı amaçlamakta ve Uygurların, bir resmin ana hatlarını çizmek için delikli şablon tekniğine aşina oldukları yorumunu önermektedir.

Keywords

Eski Uygurca, Çince, resim, delikli şablon tekniği, İpek Yolu, Orta Asya Budizmi, etimoloji, sözlük bilgisi

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