Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), miniature multi-story pavilions (tiangong louge)

Information

Title

Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), miniature multi-story pavilions (tiangong louge)

智化殿天花与藻井, 天宫楼阁

Creator

unknown

Work Type

architectural elements

Date

c. 1444 C.E.

Period

Ming

Cultural Context

Chinese

Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism

Material

wood

lacquer

gilding

Technique

woodcarving

mortise-and-tenon joints

Measurements

(cm) 508 length, 508 width

Capture Date

2/11/2013 3:45:25 PM

File Format

image

Descriptions and Subjects

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).

智化寺是中国首都北京最重要的佛教寺院之一。这座大院规模宏大，由太监王震于 1400 年初建造。此藻井来自大智慧殿 （寺院中轴线上五个主要大殿中的第二个）。为了让参观者了解原境，博物馆把根据原始地点所绘制的测量图纸所重塑的建筑元素均安置到藻井上。藻井的正中央是一条扭动的帝龙，其四周环绕着云朵、斗拱以及八块斜板。每块斜板上装饰着一条更小的云中龙。莲花、飞天（佛教中的乐神）和其他佛教宗教符号也被雕刻在四周的木板上。藻井结构中央部分为天井。虽然大部分原始红漆保存完好，但大部分的金箔覆盖层已经丢失。藻井的主要的元素为带有云朵花纹装饰的斗拱；雕刻精美的佛像和菩萨雕塑也立于这些小结构中。藻井的其余部分由绘有独特的莲花图案（受到藏传佛教喇嘛教的影响）的方形板组成。每一块方形板都有一个来自北印度（西藏人称为 Lantsha）的字符，富有象征意味地重现了宇宙。此模型的寺庙和木板是根据可能是在康熙年间（1662-1722 年）进行维修时添加的。

Image Description

close view, miniature multi-story pavilions

近景, 天宮樓閣

Subjects

coffered ceilings

pavilions

Rights and Identifier

Work Acquisition

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Wasserman, 1930, 1930-38-1a—n

Image Rights

in copyright

Image Source

Courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art

Image ID

BZT-PMA-C-2