Cave Temples of Mogao: Art and History on the Silk RoadThe Mogao grottoes in China, situated near the oasis town of Dunhuang on the fabled Silk Road, constitute one of the world's most significant sites of Buddhist art. In some five hundred caves carved into rock cliffs at the edge of the Gobi desert are preserved one thousand years of exquisite murals and sculpture. Mogao, founded by Buddhist monks as an isolated monastery in the late fourth century, evolved into an artistic and spiritual center whose renown extended from the Chinese capital to the far western kingdoms of the Silk Road. Among its treasures are miles of stunning wall paintings, more than two thousand statues, magnificent works on silk and paper, and thousands of ancient manuscripts, such as sutras, poems, and prayer sheets, which in 1900 were found sealed in one of the caves and then dispersed to museums throughout the world. Illustrated in color throughout, Cave Temples of Mogao combines lavish photographs of the caves and their art with the fascinating history of Mogao, Dunhuang, and the Silk Road to create a vivid portrait of this remarkable site. Chapters discuss the development of the cave temples, the iconography of the wall paintings, and the extraordinary story of the rare manuscripts, including the oldest printed book in existence, a ninth-century copy of the Diamond Sutra. The book also describes the long-term collaboration between the Getty Conservation Institute and Chinese authorities in conservation projects at Mogao as well as the caves and the museum that can be visited today. The publication of this book coincides with the centenary of the discovery of the manuscripts in the Library Cave. |
Contents
At the Desert Gateway to China | 1 |
The Blazing Beacon | 9 |
Lost Treasures of the Silk Road | 31 |
The Peerless Caves | 51 |
Temples of the Pure Lands | 71 |
A Millennium of Murals | 93 |
Conserving the Heritage of Mogao | 105 |
Monasteries Monks and Manuscripts | 121 |
The Art Gallery in the Desert | 133 |
Suggested Reading | 137 |
Acknowledgments | 138 |
Other editions - View all
Cave Temples of Mogao: Art and History on the Silk Road Roderick Whitfield,Susan Whitfield,Neville Agnew No preview available - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
Abbot Wang adorned ancient artistic Aurel Stein bodhisattvas British Library Buddha caravan Cave 17 Cave 85 caves built ceiling central Asia Chang'an China Chinese capital cliff face color copies culture depicted desert documents Dunhuang Dunhuang Academy Dunhuang and Mogao Dunhuang region Early Tang dynasty empire Getty Conservation Institute heritage High Tang dynasty hundred images imperial India Khotan Late Tang dynasty Library Cave Lois Conner Lotus Sutra manuscripts ment Mogao cave temples Mogao caves Mogao grottoes monasteries Mongol monks murals Museum nationale de France Neville Agnew Northern Wei Northern Zhou dynasty oasis passed through Dunhuang Pelliot Photo by Lois Photo by Wu pigments Pure Land sand scenes scrolls sculpture shrines Silk Road Stein photo Sui dynasty Taklamakan Tang dynasty Tantric Thousand Buddha Tibetan tion translated Uighur visits Dunhuang wall paintings Wei dynasty Western Wei dynasty Western Xia Wu Jian Xiongnu Xuanzang Yuan dynasty