Showing  76 - 100 of 255 Records

Showing  76 - 100 of 255 Records
Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), central five-clawed dragon
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜å¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , äø­å¤®äŗ”ēˆŖ龙
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
1444

Revolving Sutra Cabinet (Zhuanlun Jingzang, or Scripture Cabinet) in Sutra Hall (Zangdian, or Scripture Hall), front and side
  • Title Translation: 藏ę®æč½¬č½®ē»č— , ę­£é¢å’Œä¾§é¢
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: ā€œRevolving Sutra Cabinetā€ (zhuanlun jingzang) is an octagonal sutra cabinet. It has a stone plinth supporting the wooden cabinets and does not revolve. A Vairocana Buddha seated on a lotus is positioned right at the center on top of the sutra cabinet. The off-center position of the sutra cabinet turns out to be a calculated decision, as it creates enough space and angle for a visitor to see the Vairocana Buddha right before s/he enters the hall.
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), 3D reconstruction still image
  • Title Translation: ę™ŗ化ę®æå¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , 3D重å»ŗé™ę€å›¾åƒ
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis ā€” the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662ā€“1722).
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), 3D reconstruction still image
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜å¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , 3D重å»ŗé™ę€å›¾åƒ
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
1444

Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), seated bodhisattva
  • Title Translation: 大ę™ŗę®æ , åč©čØ
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, Avolokiteśvara attended by MaƱjuśrÄ« and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
1444

Dazhi Hall (Dazhidian, Hall of Great Wisdom), entrance
  • Title Translation: 大ę™ŗę®æ , 兄口
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The Dazhi Hall is located east of the Zhihua Hall and opposite from the Sutra Hall. The hall initially enshrined three bodhisattvas, Avolokiteśvara attended by MaƱjuśrÄ« and Samantabhadra on an altar. Though different in function and interior layout, the Dazhi Hall has the exact measurements and structure as the Sutra Hall, its counterpart across from the courtyard.
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), research team conducting scanning
  • Title Translation: ę™ŗ化ę®æå¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , ē ”ē©¶å°ē»„čæ›č”Œę‰«ę
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axisā€”the Hall of Great Wisdom. To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost. A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662ā€“1722).
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), back
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜å¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , čƒŒé¢
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. It is carved cypress wood with gold leaf; dragon design carved in relief.
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), back
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜å¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , čƒŒé¢
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. It is carved cypress wood with gold leaf; dragon design carved in relief.
1444

Buddha Triad from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), 3D model
  • Title Translation: ę™ŗ化ę®æäø‰äø–ä½› , 3Dęؔ型
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The main altar of the Zhihua Hall is no longer in its original form, and the three large seated Buddhas that originally occupied the space were removed and are now believed to be in the Dajue Temple. The Zhihua Hall now houses three Buddha images that once occupied the Dabei Hall at the back of the temple. These sculptures are smaller in size than the former ones, but are likely quite similar in appearance. The three Buddhas are depicted sitting with legs crossed in front on lotus thrones. The elaborate throne bases are believed to be of the Qing (1644-1911). They each wear a robe draped over the left shoulder that falls diagonally across the front of the torso and under the right arm leaving the chest, right shoulder, and arm exposed. They have curling hair and a jewel-like protuberance on the ushnisha on the top of the head. They are distinguished by the position of their hands. The central Buddha has his right hand reaching forward with fingers pointed downward in the gesture of touching the earth (bhumishparsha mudra). The Buddha to his left has the right hand raised in the gesture of granting absence of fear (abhaya mudra) The Buddha at his right side has both hands has both hands held in front of the chest in gesture of teaching, known as turning the wheel of the law (dharmachakra mudra). The three are identified as The Buddhas of the Three Agesā€”Shakyamuni (the central historical Buddha), Dipankara (Buddha of the Past), and Maitreya (Buddha of the Future). From the time of Shakyamuniā€™s life and his teachings to his disciples, the belief in the Buddha as the Enlightened One grew into a religion that spread across Asia and expanded doctrinally to include a universe of many Buddhas of countless ages in time and realms of the universe. The Zhihua Temple sculptures illustrate various aspects of these religious concepts.
1444

Revolving Sutra Cabinet (Zhuanlun Jingzang, or Scripture Cabinet) in Sutra Hall (Zangdian, or Scripture Hall), elephant figure
  • Title Translation: 藏ę®æč½¬č½®ē»č— , å¤§č±”å½¢č±”
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: ā€œRevolving Sutra Cabinetā€ (zhuanlun jingzang) is an octagonal sutra cabinet. It has a stone plinth supporting the wooden cabinets and does not revolve. A Vairocana Buddha seated on a lotus is positioned right at the center on top of the sutra cabinet. The off-center position of the sutra cabinet turns out to be a calculated decision, as it creates enough space and angle for a visitor to see the Vairocana Buddha right before s/he enters the hall.
1444

Revolving Sutra Cabinet (Zhuanlun Jingzang, or Scripture Cabinet) in Sutra Hall (Zangdian, or Scripture Hall), white marble base
  • Title Translation: 藏ę®æč½¬č½®ē»č— , ē™½č‰²å¤§ē†ēŸ³åŗ•åŗ§
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: ā€œRevolving Sutra Cabinetā€ (zhuanlun jingzang) is an octagonal sutra cabinet. It has a stone plinth supporting the wooden cabinets and does not revolve. A Vairocana Buddha seated on a lotus is positioned right at the center on top of the sutra cabinet. The off-center position of the sutra cabinet turns out to be a calculated decision, as it creates enough space and angle for a visitor to see the Vairocana Buddha right before s/he enters the hall.
1444

Buddha Triad from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), Vairocana Buddha
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜äø‰åœ£ , ęƗ卢遮那佛
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The three figures on the ground level of the Rulai Hall are located directly below three other large Buddha sculptural images in the upper level, called the Wanfoge (Ten-thousand Buddha Pavilion). Of these sculptures, the central figure is artistically similar to the Shakyamuni in the lower level. It too is a very large golden figure displaying finely modeled features and wearing the same kind of robe and earrings. In addition, this Buddha wears a five-petaled jeweled crown, large necklace and additional jewelry on his arms and ankles. He sits on a larger multilevel, thousand-petaled lotus throne set on an elaborately carved base that indicate his superior status or importance. His hands are held up in front of his chest, with the index finger of the left hand raised and the right hand closed over it. This is the mudra called the ā€œwisdom fistā€ and is the gesture of the Buddha Vairocana who is the dharmakaya Buddha. A large coffered ceiling with central dragon was formerly situated directly above him. The two other large Buddha sculptures in the Wanfoge are labeled as Sakyamuni Buddha and Rochana Buddha, and together with the central Vairochana they are identified as the Three Bodies of the Buddha. Rochana represents the Buddha body as sambhogakaya or baoshen, body of reward, an idealized vision worshipped by believers emerged.
1444

Skanda Bodhisattva in Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom)
  • Title Translation: ę™ŗ化ę®æéŸ¦é™€č©čØ
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: Skanda, known as Weituo in Chinese, is a devoted guardian of Buddhist monasteries who protects the teachings of Buddhism. He is always depicted as a young and robust warrior in full armor.
1444

Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), small Buddha shrines
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜ , 小佛龛
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The upper level of Rulai Hall is the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), which is a smaller 3-bay-by-3-bay structure. The Pavilion features the ā€œThree Bodies of the Buddhaā€ (sanshen fo), with Buddha Vairocana at the center accompanied by Śākyamuni to its left and Rocana Buddha (Luzhena fao) to its right. While the lower-level ceiling is flat, consisting of square panels (tianhua), the ceiling on the second level features a magnificent coffered ceiling (zaojing), now installed in the Chinese gallery of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Rulai Hall and Wanfo Pavilion together form the religious center of the temple.
1444

Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), small Buddha shrines
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜ , 小佛龛
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The upper level of Rulai Hall is the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), which is a smaller 3-bay-by-3-bay structure. The Pavilion features the ā€œThree Bodies of the Buddhaā€ (sanshen fo), with Buddha Vairocana at the center accompanied by Śākyamuni to its left and Rocana Buddha (Luzhena fao) to its right. While the lower-level ceiling is flat, consisting of square panels (tianhua), the ceiling on the second level features a magnificent coffered ceiling (zaojing), now installed in the Chinese gallery of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Rulai Hall and Wanfo Pavilion together form the religious center of the temple.
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), crowned small Buddha
  • Title Translation: ę™ŗ化ę®æå¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , 小坐佛像
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axisā€”the Hall of Great Wisdom. To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost. A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662ā€“1722).
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), crowned small Buddha
  • Title Translation: ę™ŗ化ę®æå¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , ęˆ“å† å°ä½›åƒ
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axisā€”the Hall of Great Wisdom. To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost. A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662ā€“1722).
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), pagoda from tiangong louge
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜å¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , å¤©å®«ę„¼é˜å®å””
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
1444

Buddha Triad from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), Rocana Buddha digital reconstruction
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜äø‰åœ£ , å¢čˆé‚£ä½›ę•°å­—é‡å»ŗ
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The three figures on the ground level of the Rulai Hall are located directly below three other large Buddha sculptural images in the upper level, called the Wanfoge (Ten-thousand Buddha Pavilion). Of these sculptures, the central figure is artistically similar to the Shakyamuni in the lower level. It too is a very large golden figure displaying finely modeled features and wearing the same kind of robe and earrings. In addition, this Buddha wears a five-petaled jeweled crown, large necklace and additional jewelry on his arms and ankles. He sits on a larger multilevel, thousand-petaled lotus throne set on an elaborately carved base that indicate his superior status or importance. His hands are held up in front of his chest, with the index finger of the left hand raised and the right hand closed over it. This is the mudra called the ā€œwisdom fistā€ and is the gesture of the Buddha Vairocana who is the dharmakaya Buddha. A large coffered ceiling with central dragon was formerly situated directly above him. The two other large Buddha sculptures in the Wanfoge are labeled as Sakyamuni Buddha and Rochana Buddha, and together with the central Vairochana they are identified as the Three Bodies of the Buddha. Rochana represents the Buddha body as sambhogakaya or baoshen, body of reward, an idealized vision worshipped by believers emerged.
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), tiangong louge zaojing
  • Title Translation: ę™ŗ化ę®æå¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , å¤©å®«ę„¼é˜č—»äŗ•
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis ā€” the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662ā€“1722).
1444

Zhihua Temple (Zhihuasi, Temple of Transforming Wisdom), temple visitors
  • Title Translation: ę™ŗ化åÆŗ , åÆŗåŗ™ęøø客
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: Completed in 1444, the ninth year of the Zhengtong reign, the Zhihua Temple was among a handful of Buddhist temples whose constructions were granted by the imperial edict issued directly from Emperor Yingzong. Under the auspice of this very emperor, the Ming (1368-1644) witnessed the nation-wide construction of Buddhist temples in large quantity. Unfortunately, most of them have either disappeared or been altered in modern times, and today, it is rare to find Ming Buddhist temples still retaining much of their original architecture. The Zhihua Temple, the most complete Ming Buddhist temple to have survived today, preserves a slice of the templeā€™s history, and offers a glance into some essential features that characterize Ming Buddhist architecture. The temple layout is dominated by a central north-south axis, along which the principal halls are located. Each hall is fronted with a courtyard and two subsidiary buildings facing each other to form a "quadrangular enclosure". The only exception is the third building, the two-level structureā€”the Rulai Hall (Hall of Śākyamuni) on the first floor and the Wanfo Pavilion (Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion) on the secondā€”enclosed by walls on its east and west. According to the first modern architectural survey of the temple during the early 1930s, it consisted of five quadrangular enclosures along the central axis, with abbot's room and dormitories built along the two secondary axes that flank the central one in the rear section. Today, Zhihua Temple retains four original central quadrangular units.
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), ceiling model digital reconstruction
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜å¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , å¤©čŠ±ęæęØ”åž‹ę•°å­—é‡å»ŗ
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
1444

Coffered Ceiling from Wanfo Pavilion (Wanfoge, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion), small dragon digital reconstruction
  • Title Translation: äø‡ä½›é˜å¤©čŠ±äøŽč—»äŗ• , å°é¾™ę•°å­—é‡å»ŗ
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: The ceiling from the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, at first sold to a coffin-maker, was acquired by Laurence Sickman in 1930 for the newly founded Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The ceiling is carved cypress wood with gold leaf, showing dragon design carved in relief.
1444

Revolving Sutra Cabinet (Zhuanlun Jingzang, or Scripture Cabinet) in Sutra Hall (Zangdian, or Scripture Hall), crown and ceiling
  • Title Translation: 藏ę®æč½¬č½®ē»č— , 锶éƒØå’Œå¤©čŠ±ęæ
  • Period: Ming, c. 1444 C.E.
  • Project: Beijing Zhihua Temple
  • Work Description: ā€œRevolving Sutra Cabinetā€ (zhuanlun jingzang) is an octagonal sutra cabinet. It has a stone plinth supporting the wooden cabinets and does not revolve. A Vairocana Buddha seated on a lotus is positioned right at the center on top of the sutra cabinet. The off-center position of the sutra cabinet turns out to be a calculated decision, as it creates enough space and angle for a visitor to see the Vairocana Buddha right before s/he enters the hall.
1444