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. |
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Cave temples of Mogao: art and history on the silk road
User Review - Not Available - Book VerdictFor 1000 years, from 366 C.E. to 1357 C.E., Buddhists in the isolated desert oasis of Dunhuang (or Tun-huang) dug a series of caves and decorated them with a vibrant array of wall frescoes and ... Read full review
Contents
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 |
The Art Gallery in the Desert | 133 |
Other editions - View all
Cave Temples of Mogao: Art and History on the Silk Road Susan Whitfield,Neville Agnew No preview available - 2000 |
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Cave Temples of Mogao: Art and History on the Silk Road Volume 4 of Conservation and cultural heritage |
| Authors | Roderick Whitfield, Corresponding Fellow of the Dunhuang Academy Percival David Professor of Chinese and East Asian Art School of Oriental Studies Roderick Whitfield, Susan Whitfield, Neville Agnew |
| Photographs by | Lois Conner, Wu Jian |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Getty Publications, 2000 |
| ISBN | 0892365854, 9780892365852 |
| Length | 138 pages |
| Subjects | › › Art / Asian / General History / Asia / China |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |