Showing  1 - 20 of 20 Records

Showing  1 - 20 of 20 Records
Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: unknown, unknown
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The divinity is carved in unusually high relief and is not known to be from any existing Tianlongshan cave.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: This heavenly musician from Cave16 plays the sheng, a wind instrument consisting of a cluster of bamboo pipes joined at the bottom.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: This heavenly musician from Cave16 plays the sheng, a wind instrument consisting of a cluster of bamboo pipes joined at the bottom.

Apsaras Flying
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
  • Project: Xiangtangshan Caves

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: unknown, unknown
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The rather high relief carving of a heavenly musician playing a lute is not known to be from any existing Tianlongshan cave.

Apsaras Hand Jewel
  • Title Translation: 飞天手饰
  • Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
  • Project: Xiangtangshan Caves

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The flying divinity or apsaras is one of four such figures carved in relief around a a large central lotus blossom on the ceiling of Cave 2.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The flying divinity hovering above clouds is one of four such figures carved in relief on the ceiling of Cave 3.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: As in many cases, the relief carving was broken into fragments when removed from Cave 2 and shows signs of repairs.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The flying divinity or apsaras holds an alms bowl over its head.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The figure in flight among clouds holds an alms bowl up behind it.

Apsaras Head
  • Title Translation: 飞天头
  • Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
  • Project: Xiangtangshan Caves

Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), a heavenly figure
  • Title Translation: 智化殿天花与藻井 , 仙人
  • 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 — 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 (1662–1722).

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: unknown, unknown
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The flying figure is very similar to apsarases from Caves 2 and 3, but it cannot be attributed to any known cave.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: unknown, unknown
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The flying divinity carving is not known to be from any existing cave at Tianlongshan.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: unknown, unknown
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The flying divinity is attributed to Tianlongshan, but it is not known to be from any existing cave at the site.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The fluttering scarves and clouds surrounding the figure give it a sense of flight and movement.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Eastern Wei, 534-550 C.E.
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The heavenly figure in flight looking backward is from the ceiling of Cave 3.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: unknown, unknown
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The flying divinity playing a drum is not known to be from any existing Tianlongshan cave.

Flying Divinity
  • Title Translation: 飞天
  • Period: Northern Qi, 550-577 C.E.
  • Project: Tianlongshan Caves
  • Work Description: The heavenly musician from the ceiling of Cave 16 plays a pipa or lute-like instrument.