Silk Road China Tours

• By admin
• In DunhuangArt
• 2016-05-15

Dunhuang art -- Monk seated in meditation, ink and colours on paper

 JMvSilk Road Adventure & Private Tours - Silk Road China Tours

From Cave 17, Mogao, near Dunhuang, Gansu province, ChinaJMvSilk Road Adventure & Private Tours - Silk Road China Tours

Tang Dynasty, late 9th - early 10th century ADJMvSilk Road Adventure & Private Tours - Silk Road China Tours

The beginnings of portraiture in the EastJMvSilk Road Adventure & Private Tours - Silk Road China Tours

The cave where the paintings were found sealed up at Mogao, known as Cave 17, was originally built as a memorial chapel for Hongbian, a monk who was active there in the ninth century. His statue was removed when the bundles of silk paintings were put into the cave, but this has now been returned to its original place. The statue shows Hongbian seated with his hands on his lap, in a similar fashion to the monk shown in this sketch, and with his belongings hanging on the tree behind. A monk was only allowed to have a begging bowl or bag and a rosary, a prayer mat like the one that this monk sits on, and a vase for water. His shoes are neatly placed in front of the mat.JMvSilk Road Adventure & Private Tours - Silk Road China Tours

The depiction of senior monks and sages played an important part in the development of portrait painting and sculpture in China and East Asia.JMvSilk Road Adventure & Private Tours - Silk Road China Tours

R. Whitfield, Art of Central Asia: The Ste-1, vol. 2 (Tokyo, Kodansha International Ltd., 1982-85)JMvSilk Road Adventure & Private Tours - Silk Road China Tours

R. Whitfield and A. Farrer, Caves of the thousand Buddhas: (London, The British Museum Press, 1990)JMvSilk Road Adventure & Private Tours - Silk Road China Tours