Uygur Patronage in Dunhuang: Regional Art Centres on the Northern Silk Road in the Tenth Century (Brill's Inner Asian Library) (Brill's Inner Asian Library)

This volume is about the long-neglected, but decisive influence of Uygur patrons on Dunhuang art in the tenth and eleventh centuries. Through an insightful introduction to the hitherto little-known early history and art of the Uygurs, the author explains the social and political forces that shaped the taste of Uygur patrons. The cultural and political effects of Sino-Uygur political marriages are examined in the larger context of the role of high-ranking women in medieval art patronage. Careful study of the iconography, technique and style sheds new light on important paintings in the collection of the British Museum in London, and the Mus?e national des Arts asiatiques-Guimet, in Paris, and through comparative analysis the importance of regional art centres in medieval China and Central Asia is explored. Richly illustrated with line drawings, as well as colour and black-and-white plates. Cover......Page 1 Serie-Titel......Page 3 Titel......Page 4 Cobyright......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 6 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 22 Map......Page 27 INTRODUCTION......Page 29 Towards a definition of Uygur art......Page 39 The multi-cultural aspect of Central Asian art......Page 41 The patron's goal: the function of religious works of art......Page 47 Uygur portraits of patrons......Page 51 The origin of the Uygurs......Page 59 The Uygurs in the light of the material and religious culture of the Khaganate......Page 71 The fall of the central powers and the rise of the regional groups......Page 79 The tenth century: inter-marriage and collaboration between the Uygurs and the Guiyijun regime in Dunhuang......Page 86 Uygur donors in Xizhou and in Dunhuang: demonstrating regional power through art as propaganda......Page 97 The Dunhuang caves during the Shazhou Uygur period......Page 103 The iconographic programme and style of the Shazhou Uygur caves: comparisons with Bezeklik......Page 105 Problems of dating......Page 109 The earliest representations of Uygurs in Dunhuang: the envoy......Page 117 Description of the Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra illustration at Murtuq and ist comparison to Dunhuang examples......Page 119 Workshop practices.......Page 124 A sketch as proof of iconographic links between Xizhou and Shazhou......Page 127 Cave 18 at Bezeklik: a model for the transmission of regjonal iconography......Page 132 Identifying Uygur influence on Dun huang art......Page 139 Uygur influenced group of Dunhuang paintings......Page 152 Comparisons with Dunhuang art: the formation of Uygur art?......Page 153 How the function of religious art in Dunhuang affected workshop practice......Page 162 The influence of Manichaean art on Dunhuang painting......Page 181 Bodhisattva with Lotus": comparisons with Uygur figure paitings......Page 192 Virupaksa, Guardian of the West......Page 196 CHAPTER FOUR UYGUR BRIDES AS DONORS: THE INFLUENCEOF THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD OF UYGUR BUDDHIST ART......Page 201 "The Five Buddhas of the Varjradhatu Mandala" and the Mandala of the Forty-Two Peaceful Deities"......Page 208 Comparisons with Uygur Manicbaean painting......Page 217 Other paintings with simular donor figures......Page 225 Clues to the identity of the donors......Page 230 Cultural aspects of Ganzhou's links with Tibet......Page 236 "Manjusri on Wutaishan": the simultaneous regional influence of the Uygurs and the Tanguts......Page 243 Other Uygur-influenced paintings: the spread of the Uygur style......Page 249 Regional versus central: a reassessment of tenth-century Dunhuang art in the context of Uygur influence......Page 255 Epilogue......Page 259 TABLES......Page 262 APPENDIX: Transcriptions of Mongol inscriptions......Page 265 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 268 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 271 INDEX......Page 291 ILLUSTRATION......Page 299 BRILL'S INNER ASIAN LIBRARY......Page 382 Back-Cover......Page 384 Leere Seite......Page 2 "This volume explores the long-neglected, but decisive influence of Uygur patrons on Dunhuang art in the tenth and early eleventh centuries. Through an insightful introduction to the hitherto little-known early history and art of the Uygurs, the author explains the social and political forces that shaped the taste of Uygur patrons. The cultural and political effects of Sino-Uygur political marriages are examined in the larger context of the role of high-ranking women in medieval art patronage." "Careful study of the iconography, technique and style sheds new light on important paintings in the collection of the British Museum in London, and the Musee national des Arts asiatiques-Guimet, in Paris. Through comparative analysis the importance of regional art centres in medieval China and Central Asia is explored in detail. The book is illustrated with line drawings, as well as colour and black-and-white plates."--BOOK JACKET This volume is about the long-neglected, but decisive influence of Uygur patrons on Dunhuang art in the tenth and eleventh centuries. Through an insightful introduction to the hitherto little-known early history and art of the Uygurs, the author explains the social and political forces that shaped the taste of Uygur patrons. The cultural and political effects of Sino-Uygur political marriages are examined in the larger context of the role of high-ranking women in medieval art patronage. Careful study of the iconography, technique and style sheds new light on important paintings in the collection of the British Museum in London, and the Musée national des Arts asiatiques-Guimet, in Paris, and through comparative analysis the importance of regional art centres in medieval China and Central Asia is explored. Richly illustrated with line drawings, as well as colour and black-and-white plates.