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51 - 75 of 94 Records
Cave 3
- Title Translation: ē¬¬äøēŖ
- Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Like Cave 2, Cave 3 has a square plan with Buddha and bodhisattva images with relief carvings on three walls.
534 - 550
Northern Xiangtangshan, South Cave, ceiling
- Title Translation: ååå å±±åę“ , č»äŗ
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: The South Cave at Northern Xiangtangshan, like the Middle Cave, preserves its original stupa-form with domed roof and a porch in front. An additional small cave is carved into the dome. The main chamber is an open chamber space with images set around three walls. Each altar has a central Buddha surrounded by six standing figures including bodhisattvas, disciples and pratyekabuddhas. Smaller Buddhas appear in rows on the upper level of the cave. On the ceiling a large lotus blossom is carved in relief. The work on the cave appears to have been begun, then interrupted, and resumed later by different craftsmen. The main sculpted images show signs of having been created in two stages, with the later mode of carving evident in the group of images on the back wall. The stylistic difference is also evident in the appearance of the heads of figures taken from the cave and now located in museums and private collections outside China. In addition to its sculptural art, the South Cave is very important for its extensive engravings of Buddhist scriptures in stone. These are located inside the cave on the entrance wall, inside the porch, on the exterior wall of the porch, and extending onto the north wall of the courtyard. At the end of the sutra texts, the dedicatory stele of Tang Yong records that the engravings were carried out in the years from 568-572.
550 - 577
Northern Xiangtangshan, South Cave, ceiling
- Title Translation: ååå å±±åę“ , č»äŗ
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: The South Cave at Northern Xiangtangshan, like the Middle Cave, preserves its original stupa-form with domed roof and a porch in front. An additional small cave is carved into the dome. The main chamber is an open chamber space with images set around three walls. Each altar has a central Buddha surrounded by six standing figures including bodhisattvas, disciples and pratyekabuddhas. Smaller Buddhas appear in rows on the upper level of the cave. On the ceiling a large lotus blossom is carved in relief. The work on the cave appears to have been begun, then interrupted, and resumed later by different craftsmen. The main sculpted images show signs of having been created in two stages, with the later mode of carving evident in the group of images on the back wall. The stylistic difference is also evident in the appearance of the heads of figures taken from the cave and now located in museums and private collections outside China. In addition to its sculptural art, the South Cave is very important for its extensive engravings of Buddhist scriptures in stone. These are located inside the cave on the entrance wall, inside the porch, on the exterior wall of the porch, and extending onto the north wall of the courtyard. At the end of the sutra texts, the dedicatory stele of Tang Yong records that the engravings were carried out in the years from 568-572.
550 - 577
Southern Xiangtangshan, Cave 1, ceiling
- Title Translation: ååå å±±ē¬¬1ēŖ , 天č±ęæ
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 1, on the lower level southeast side, has dragons entwined around the columns of the entrance and a Buddha niche above the doorway between the two windows. The interior has a central pillar with a large niche on the front where the principal Buddha image sits, still largely intact. Behind his head is a large halo surrounded by flying divinities carved in relief. The Buddha has two of the original attendant figures, disciples dressed in monksā robes, still standing beside him. The other figures currently on the altar are clay figures made as replacements for those that were removed in the early twentieth century. Above the main image niche in the central pillar there is a relief scene with Buddhas and bodhisattvas gathered in a teaching assembly. Another relief scene with a central seated Buddha appears just opposite, above doorway of the cave. It depicts the Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha, a pure fragrant land with jeweled trees and lotus ponds where the Buddhist faithful could be reborn in the next life. On the upper level of the cave walls there is a row of niches, each with a seated Buddha and standing bodhisattvas. The lower level is largely filled with engraved passages of the Avatamsaka sutra or āFlower Garland Sutra." The engraved text does not extend onto the right or south wall and appears not to have been completed as originally planned.
550 - 577
Southern Xiangtangshan, Cave 7, exterior
- Title Translation: ååå å±±ē¬¬7ēŖ , å¤éØ
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 7 is the best preserved of the caves at the Southern Xiangtangshan site, with the exterior displaying architectural features based on wood post and lintel architecture rendered in stone. The porch in front has a stone eave and tiled roof supported on columns and brackets. At the top is a domed roof. Two muscular lishi-type guardian figures stand in the porch on either side of the entrance to the cave. The principal sculpted figures inside the cave, five in each of the three niches, are still largely in place, though most are missing their heads. The seated Buddhas, standing bodhisattvas, and disciples were carved in one piece with the cave walls and thrones (with the exception of one of the Buddhas), and thus were not easily removed. Carvings on the front of the altars include incense burners, lions and nature spirits known as Spirit Kings, as seen at Northern Xiangtangshan. In addition many rows of small āthousand Buddhasā appear on the walls behind the main images and from the front wall around the entrance. On the ceiling, heavenly musicians encircle a central lotus blossom carved in relief.
550 - 577
Cave 8
- Title Translation: ē¬¬å «ēŖ
- Period: Sui, 581-618 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 8 is the largest of the caves at Tianlongshan with the exception of Cave 9, the colossal Buddha cave. It is the only central pillar cave at the site and the only cave known to be of the Sui dynasty (581-618). It has a porch three bays wide that is largely preserved. The traces of two guardian figures standing at the sides of the entrance can still be seen. At the right side of the porch there is a stele with a long inscription dated to the fourth year of the kaihuang reign period, or 584. It records the persecution of Buddhism in the preceding Northern Zhou period after the conquest of Northern Qi, and its restoration with the rise of the Sui dynasty. The cave is dedicated by a Sui official to the well-being of the Sui emperor Wen (r. 581-604) and his son Yang Guang, the prince of Jin. The main chamber of Cave 8 is square in plan with a large square central pillar. It has three niches around the back and side walls and four niches on the central pillar, each with a central seated Buddha and standing attendants.
581 - 618
Cave 2
- Title Translation: ē¬¬äŗēŖ
- Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 2 and 3, the paired caves, are believed to be from the Eastern Wei period and are the earliest caves at Tianlongshan. They are located on the eastern side of the Tianlongshan caves site and below the upper level caves. Cave 2 is on the right. The caves are distinctive for the many relief carvings on the walls and ceiling, most of which have been removed.
534 - 550
Cave 2
- Title Translation: ē¬¬äŗēŖ
- Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 2 and 3, the paired caves, are believed to be from the Eastern Wei period and are the earliest caves at Tianlongshan. They are located on the eastern side of the Tianlongshan caves site and below the upper level caves. Cave 2 is on the right. The caves are distinctive for the many relief carvings on the walls and ceiling, most of which have been removed.
534 - 550
Cave 18
- Title Translation: ē¬¬åå «ēŖ
- Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 18 is one of the most important Tang dynasty caves. Its remaining sculptures are better preserved than the sculptures in many other caves. Though they are damaged and a few completely removed, they still show the excellent quality of the carving as well as the arrangements and poses of the figures to a large extent. In recent years the cave was sealed to protect its contents.
618 - 907
Cave 21
- Title Translation: ē¬¬äŗåäøēŖ
- Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 21 is the largest Tang dynasty cave with the exception of Cave 9. It now has traces of only a single larger than life-sized seated Buddha on the north (back) wall and five standing attendants (Photograph. Li 2003, color pl. 21). The cave is damaged by a large fissure in the stone that cuts across the east and west walls, thus the stone may not have been suitable for sculpting. It is possible that some of the figures formerly made for the cave were not attached to the walls, but carved separately and placed into the cave.
618 - 907
Cave 2
- Title Translation: ē¬¬äŗēŖ
- Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 2 and 3, the paired caves, are believed to be from the Eastern Wei period and are the earliest caves at Tianlongshan. They are located on the eastern side of the Tianlongshan caves site and below the upper level caves. Cave 2 is on the right. The caves are distinctive for the many relief carvings on the walls and ceiling, most of which have been removed.
534 - 550
Cave 2
- Title Translation: ē¬¬äŗēŖ
- Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 2 and 3, the paired caves, are believed to be from the Eastern Wei period and are the earliest caves at Tianlongshan. They are located on the eastern side of the Tianlongshan caves site and below the upper level caves. Cave 2 is on the right. The caves are distinctive for the many relief carvings on the walls and ceiling, most of which have been removed.
534 - 550
Northern Xiangtangshan, South Cave, ceiling
- Title Translation: ååå å±±åę“ , č»äŗ
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: The South Cave at Northern Xiangtangshan, like the Middle Cave, preserves its original stupa-form with domed roof and a porch in front. An additional small cave is carved into the dome. The main chamber is an open chamber space with images set around three walls. Each altar has a central Buddha surrounded by six standing figures including bodhisattvas, disciples and pratyekabuddhas. Smaller Buddhas appear in rows on the upper level of the cave. On the ceiling a large lotus blossom is carved in relief. The work on the cave appears to have been begun, then interrupted, and resumed later by different craftsmen. The main sculpted images show signs of having been created in two stages, with the later mode of carving evident in the group of images on the back wall. The stylistic difference is also evident in the appearance of the heads of figures taken from the cave and now located in museums and private collections outside China. In addition to its sculptural art, the South Cave is very important for its extensive engravings of Buddhist scriptures in stone. These are located inside the cave on the entrance wall, inside the porch, on the exterior wall of the porch, and extending onto the north wall of the courtyard. At the end of the sutra texts, the dedicatory stele of Tang Yong records that the engravings were carried out in the years from 568-572.
550 - 577
Northern Xiangtangshan, South Cave, lotus ceiling
- Title Translation: ååå å±±åę“ , č²č±č»äŗ
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: The South Cave at Northern Xiangtangshan, like the Middle Cave, preserves its original stupa-form with domed roof and a porch in front. An additional small cave is carved into the dome. The main chamber is an open chamber space with images set around three walls. Each altar has a central Buddha surrounded by six standing figures including bodhisattvas, disciples and pratyekabuddhas. Smaller Buddhas appear in rows on the upper level of the cave. On the ceiling a large lotus blossom is carved in relief. The work on the cave appears to have been begun, then interrupted, and resumed later by different craftsmen. The main sculpted images show signs of having been created in two stages, with the later mode of carving evident in the group of images on the back wall. The stylistic difference is also evident in the appearance of the heads of figures taken from the cave and now located in museums and private collections outside China. In addition to its sculptural art, the South Cave is very important for its extensive engravings of Buddhist scriptures in stone. These are located inside the cave on the entrance wall, inside the porch, on the exterior wall of the porch, and extending onto the north wall of the courtyard. At the end of the sutra texts, the dedicatory stele of Tang Yong records that the engravings were carried out in the years from 568-572.
550 - 577
Southern Xiangtangshan, Cave 7, interior
- Title Translation: ååå å±±ē¬¬7ēŖ , å éØ
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 7 is the best preserved of the caves at the Southern Xiangtangshan site, with the exterior displaying architectural features based on wood post and lintel architecture rendered in stone. The porch in front has a stone eave and tiled roof supported on columns and brackets. At the top is a domed roof. Two muscular lishi-type guardian figures stand in the porch on either side of the entrance to the cave. The principal sculpted figures inside the cave, five in each of the three niches, are still largely in place, though most are missing their heads. The seated Buddhas, standing bodhisattvas, and disciples were carved in one piece with the cave walls and thrones (with the exception of one of the Buddhas), and thus were not easily removed. Carvings on the front of the altars include incense burners, lions and nature spirits known as Spirit Kings, as seen at Northern Xiangtangshan. In addition many rows of small āthousand Buddhasā appear on the walls behind the main images and from the front wall around the entrance. On the ceiling, heavenly musicians encircle a central lotus blossom carved in relief.
550 - 577
Southern Xiangtangshan, Cave 7, ceiling
- Title Translation: ååå å±±ē¬¬7ēŖ , 天č±ęæ
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 7 is the best preserved of the caves at the Southern Xiangtangshan site, with the exterior displaying architectural features based on wood post and lintel architecture rendered in stone. The porch in front has a stone eave and tiled roof supported on columns and brackets. At the top is a domed roof. Two muscular lishi-type guardian figures stand in the porch on either side of the entrance to the cave. The principal sculpted figures inside the cave, five in each of the three niches, are still largely in place, though most are missing their heads. The seated Buddhas, standing bodhisattvas, and disciples were carved in one piece with the cave walls and thrones (with the exception of one of the Buddhas), and thus were not easily removed. Carvings on the front of the altars include incense burners, lions and nature spirits known as Spirit Kings, as seen at Northern Xiangtangshan. In addition many rows of small āthousand Buddhasā appear on the walls behind the main images and from the front wall around the entrance. On the ceiling, heavenly musicians encircle a central lotus blossom carved in relief.
550 - 577
Lower Guangsheng Temple, front hall (or former Buddha's Temple), ceiling
- Title Translation: å¹æčäøåÆŗ , åę®æ(ęåä½åÆŗ)ć 锶ę£
- Period: Eastern Han, Yuan, 147 C.E., 1271-1368 C.E.
- Project: Guangsheng Temple Murals
- Work Description: The lower temple is made up by the temple gate, front hall, back hall (or Daxiong Temple), the buttress hall and other buildings that were all built in the Yuan Dynasty. The temple gate is rather high. It is 3-bay wide and 3-bay long with single-eaved gable and hip roof. Canopies added to the front and back eaves make it like a pavilion with double eaves. The front hall is five-bay wide with only two pillars supporting the whole hall. The back hall (or Daxiong Temple) was built in the second year (1309) of the Zhida reign of the Yuan Dynasty. It is 7-bay wide with 9 purlins, 8 rafters and a single-eaved overhanging gable roof. The main statues in the hall are Amitabha Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. They were all made in the Yuan Dynasty. Murals were once covered on the walls, but they were removed and shipped to the United States in 1928. The mural on the south wall recorded the performance of Yuan Drama. It is rare reference material for study on Chinese dramas.
147
1368
1368
Longmen Binyang Central Cave, lotus ceiling with celestial deities
- Title Translation: é¾éØ宾é³äøę“ , č²č±å¤©č±ęæäø天ē„
- Period: Northern Wei, 386ā534 C.E.
- Project: Longmen Binyang Central Cave
- Work Description: The Longmen Caves are located outside the city of Luoyang, China, about 500 miles southeast of the modern-day capital in Beijing. Established in the late fifth century, the site consists of 2,345 caves, and over 100,000 individual Buddhist statues, ranging in height from a few inches to over 56 feet. For more than 250 years, Chinese Buddhists from all walks of life sponsored the addition of Buddhist statues and inscriptions to the site, most significantly from the late Northern Wei (386-534) through the Tang dynasty (618-907). Binyang Central Cave is one of the earliest at Longmen and a major monument of Chinese Buddhism. Begun around the year 501, it was commissioned by the youthful Emperor Xuanwu (483-515) and dedicated to his father, Emperor Xiaowen, who died in 499 at age thirty-three. The cave is one of the major monuments of Chinese Buddhism. MEasuring roughly 30 feet in each dimension, its principal image is 28-foot-high seated Buddha largly filling the back of the cave and accompanied by smaller standing figuresādisciples, Buddhas, and bodhisattvaāon either side. The exit wall contained some of the finest stone relief carvings of the era, including depictions of two imperial processions, and a number of stories from Buddhist scriptures. After cave-making was discontinued for nearly a thousand years, the Longmen site was "discovered" by foreign scholars in the late 1800s. The publication of their studies with photos attracted international attention to the artistic quality of the sculptures. The publications ultimately led to the looting of much of the site in the early part of the twentieth century. In response to demand from art dealers, collectors, and museums around the globe, local stonecutters removed countless works from the caves, often breaking them into numerous fragments in the process. Pieces from the greater Longmen complex can now be found scattered throughout the world. In Binyang Central Cave, several heads and large portions of the relief carvings were cut or burned out of the walls. Fragments from Binyang Central Cave now reside in museums in the US and Japan, as well as in storage at the Longmen Research Institute in China. Many shattered pieces are identifiable today with the evidence of historical photographs and rubbings taken of the reliefs before their removal.
386 - 534
Cave 8
- Title Translation: ē¬¬å «ēŖ
- Period: Sui, 581-618 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 8 is the largest of the caves at Tianlongshan with the exception of Cave 9, the colossal Buddha cave. It is the only central pillar cave at the site and the only cave known to be of the Sui dynasty (581-618). It has a porch three bays wide that is largely preserved. The traces of two guardian figures standing at the sides of the entrance can still be seen. At the right side of the porch there is a stele with a long inscription dated to the fourth year of the kaihuang reign period, or 584. It records the persecution of Buddhism in the preceding Northern Zhou period after the conquest of Northern Qi, and its restoration with the rise of the Sui dynasty. The cave is dedicated by a Sui official to the well-being of the Sui emperor Wen (r. 581-604) and his son Yang Guang, the prince of Jin. The main chamber of Cave 8 is square in plan with a large square central pillar. It has three niches around the back and side walls and four niches on the central pillar, each with a central seated Buddha and standing attendants.
581 - 618
Cave 18
- Title Translation: ē¬¬åå «ēŖ
- Period: Tang, 618-907 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 18 is one of the most important Tang dynasty caves. Its remaining sculptures are better preserved than the sculptures in many other caves. Though they are damaged and a few completely removed, they still show the excellent quality of the carving as well as the arrangements and poses of the figures to a large extent. In recent years the cave was sealed to protect its contents.
618 - 907
Cave 2
- Title Translation: ē¬¬äŗēŖ
- Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 2 and 3, the paired caves, are believed to be from the Eastern Wei period and are the earliest caves at Tianlongshan. They are located on the eastern side of the Tianlongshan caves site and below the upper level caves. Cave 2 is on the right. The caves are distinctive for the many relief carvings on the walls and ceiling, most of which have been removed.
534 - 550
Cave 2
- Title Translation: ē¬¬äŗēŖ
- Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Cave 2 and 3, the paired caves, are believed to be from the Eastern Wei period and are the earliest caves at Tianlongshan. They are located on the eastern side of the Tianlongshan caves site and below the upper level caves. Cave 2 is on the right. The caves are distinctive for the many relief carvings on the walls and ceiling, most of which have been removed.
534 - 550
Cave 3
- Title Translation: ē¬¬äøēŖ
- Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Like Cave 2, Cave 3 has a square plan with Buddha and bodhisattva images with relief carvings on three walls.
534 - 550
Cave 3
- Title Translation: ē¬¬äøēŖ
- Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
- Project: Tianlongshan Caves
- Work Description: Like Cave 2, Cave 3 has a square plan with Buddha and bodhisattva images with relief carvings on three walls.
534 - 550
Northern Xiangtangshan, South Cave, ceiling
- Title Translation: ååå å±±åę“ , č»äŗ
- Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
- Project: Xiangtangshan Caves
- Work Description: The South Cave at Northern Xiangtangshan, like the Middle Cave, preserves its original stupa-form with domed roof and a porch in front. An additional small cave is carved into the dome. The main chamber is an open chamber space with images set around three walls. Each altar has a central Buddha surrounded by six standing figures including bodhisattvas, disciples and pratyekabuddhas. Smaller Buddhas appear in rows on the upper level of the cave. On the ceiling a large lotus blossom is carved in relief. The work on the cave appears to have been begun, then interrupted, and resumed later by different craftsmen. The main sculpted images show signs of having been created in two stages, with the later mode of carving evident in the group of images on the back wall. The stylistic difference is also evident in the appearance of the heads of figures taken from the cave and now located in museums and private collections outside China. In addition to its sculptural art, the South Cave is very important for its extensive engravings of Buddhist scriptures in stone. These are located inside the cave on the entrance wall, inside the porch, on the exterior wall of the porch, and extending onto the north wall of the courtyard. At the end of the sutra texts, the dedicatory stele of Tang Yong records that the engravings were carried out in the years from 568-572.
550 - 577