TUNHUANG CAVE 249: A REPRESENTATION OF THE VIMALAKIRTINIRDESA. (VOLUMES I AND II) (BUDDHIST, CHINA).

摘要

This dissertation is a study of the decorative program of Cave 249 at Tunhuang in Kansu province, China. One of the best-preserved Buddhist caves at the site, it dates from the Western Wei period (A.D. 535-545) according to the Tunhuang Research Institute's comparative study of stylistic, epigraphical and archaeological evidences.;This study begins with an examination of the textual sources and contextual factors such as interpretive traditions, devotionalism, artistic models, and the tastes and interests of the Chinese audience. All these factors will be considered as part of the meaning of the cave decoration.;The central part of this study is a reconstruction of the narrative sequence in Cave 249. This is followed by a discussion of the iconographic and stylistic sources. Published materials, new photographs taken in situ and drawings based on direct observation of the objects are used.;In conclusion, this dissertation attempts to show that the variable phenomenon of sinicization is the determining factor in the unity and diversity of the illustrations of the sutra in Cave 249 and in other pre-T'ang examples.;Cave 249 is a coherent illustration of a single sutra, the Vimalakirtinirdesa-sutra. The narrative is represented in the form of a complex program with interlocking elements of sculpture and painting. The sutra's events have to be read in multiple sequences and across space by association and correspondence and within the framework of a story within a story. The shape of this narrative is further determined by the iconic focus: the Buddha image in the central niche.