Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v2.c8.s17.2

v2.c8.s17.2

THE colours of the fresco seem to have suffered much from the smoke and flames of the fires lit in later times by the unsympathetic occupants of the *vihāra*, and the gold-brown complexion of the principal figure, which apparently represented Avalokiteśvara, has become so dark that it is difficult to notice any tinge of brownness in it. Further, the clay layer on which the colours were laid has peeled off, leaving large gaps in the composition, but the few pieces which are intact bear ample testimony to the skill of the artist in drawing and to his fine feeling for decorative effect.