Dr. Katherine Tsiang
Associate Director of the Center for the Art of East Asia, University of Chicago
“Early Buddhist Cave-making in the Northern Wei and Interactions with Gansu and the Western Regions–Visual vs. Historical Evidence”
Friday, February 19, 4-6 pm
CWAC, Room 156
Abstract
This study reconsiders the beginnings of Buddhist cave temple making in the Northern Wei period from the perspective of both visual and textual evidence. Northern Wei cave-making is generally believed to have begun with the Tanyao Caves (Cave 16-20) on the basis of textual evidence from the Northern Wei history. This is the request by the monk Tanyao around 460 that Emperor Wencheng create five caves with large sculptures, colossal images that were unprecedented in Northern China. However, other historical records hint at much earlier activity at Yungang, but this is generally regarded as unreliable. Visual elements in early caves in Gansu, now believed to be from the late fourth and early fifth century are strikingly similar to those in other caves at Yungang that are considered later than 460 in date. In addition comparative examples from other sources beyond northwest China in a variety of materials offer intriguing evidence for and questions about sources of imagery at Yungang.
