Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), Philadelphia Museum of Art Hollis Baldeck Gallery

Information

Title

Coffered Ceiling from Zhihua Hall (Zhihuadian, Hall of Transforming Wisdom), Philadelphia Museum of Art Hollis Baldeck Gallery

智化殿天花与藻井, 费城艺术博物馆Hollis Baldeck画廊

Creator

unknown

Work Type

architectural elements

Date

c. 1444 C.E.

Period

Ming

Cultural Context

Chinese

Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism

Material

wood

lacquer

gilding

Technique

woodcarving

mortise-and-tenon joints

Measurements

(cm) 508 length, 508 width

Capture Date

10/30/2017 2:21:20 PM

File Format

image

Descriptions and Subjects

Work Description

The Zhihua monastery is one of the great Buddhist temple compounds in the Chinese capital of Beijing. Conceived on a grand scale, the compound was built in the early 1400s by the eunuch Wang Zhen. This ceiling comes from the second of five main halls on the monastery's central axis — the Hall of Great Wisdom.To give visitors a sense of the original context, the Museum installed the ceiling with architectural elements reconstructed from measured drawings made at the original site. In the center is a writhing imperial dragon surrounded by clouds, bracketing, and eight canted panels, each bearing a smaller dragon among clouds. Lotuses, apsaras (Buddhist flying musicians), and other Buddhist religious symbols are carved in the surrounding panels. The Chinese name for this central part of the ceiling is tianjing, or "well of heaven." While most of the original red lacquer is well preserved, much of the rich overlay of gold leaf has been lost.A series of model temples supported by cloud-decorated brackets encompass the central element; within these miniature structures are delicately carved sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The remainder of the ceiling consists of square panels painted with stylized lotus flowers that show the influence of Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Each bears a character from a North Indian script (called Lantsha by the Tibetans) that symbolically recreates the universe. The model temples and panels may have been added during repairs made in the Kangxi period (1662–1722).

智化寺是中国首都北京最重要的佛教寺院之一。这座大院规模宏大，由太监王震于 1400 年初建造。此藻井来自大智慧殿 （寺院中轴线上五个主要大殿中的第二个）。为了让参观者了解原境，博物馆把根据原始地点所绘制的测量图纸所重塑的建筑元素均安置到藻井上。藻井的正中央是一条扭动的帝龙，其四周环绕着云朵、斗拱以及八块斜板。每块斜板上装饰着一条更小的云中龙。莲花、飞天（佛教中的乐神）和其他佛教宗教符号也被雕刻在四周的木板上。藻井结构中央部分为天井。虽然大部分原始红漆保存完好，但大部分的金箔覆盖层已经丢失。藻井的主要的元素为带有云朵花纹装饰的斗拱；雕刻精美的佛像和菩萨雕塑也立于这些小结构中。藻井的其余部分由绘有独特的莲花图案（受到藏传佛教喇嘛教的影响）的方形板组成。每一块方形板都有一个来自北印度（西藏人称为 Lantsha）的字符，富有象征意味地重现了宇宙。此模型的寺庙和木板是根据可能是在康熙年间（1662-1722 年）进行维修时添加的。

Image Description

installation view of the Hollis Baldeck Gallery, October 30, 2017. In 1954/55 the PMA opened a new wing to expand its Asian galleries and to showcase a number of architectural interiors from Japan and China. Finally the coffered ceiling could be featured and installed in a Buddhist temple-like setting that included lattice windows and doors similar to those at the Zhihua temple. Buddhist works of art including polychromed sculptures framed by silk banners and a painted stucco mural were displayed in the gallery. In front of the mural were placed three polychromed wooden sculptures of bodhisattvas from the Song to Jin periods, and a five-piece altar set (wugong) with incense and flower offerings arranged on top of a wooden altar table that gave visitors the impression of a Buddhist temple hall. In 2013, the Philadelphia Museum of Art purchased a late Ming dynasty polychromed wood figure of a seated luohan. The serene figure of a Chinese monk has its arms outstretched as if to hold something in both hands, possibly a scarf or a Buddhist sutra.

The Hollis Baldeck 美术馆的展览视图，拍摄于十月三十日，二零一七年。一九五四/五五年，费城艺术博物馆扩建了它的亚洲展厅，展览了许多日本和中国的建筑内部。藻井得以于一个类似佛教寺庙的空间中被展出。这个空间中的花窗和门与智化寺中的相似。展厅中的佛教艺术品包括以丝绸横幅为边框的彩绘佛像以及一个彩绘的灰泥壁画。在壁画前是三个彩绘的菩萨木雕，可以追溯到宋金时期；以及五供（五件祭祀器皿组合，包括香，花供奉。它们被摆放在一个木制的祭坛上，给参观者营造出一种佛教寺庙大殿的感觉。二零一三年，费城艺术博物馆购入一尊明末彩绘木罗汉坐像。 中国僧人以平静的身姿张开双臂，仿佛双手捧着什么东西，可能是手卷或佛经。

Subjects

coffered ceilings

Rights and Identifier

Work Acquisition

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Wasserman, 1930, 1930-38-1a—n

Image Rights

in copyright

Image Source

Courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art

Image ID

BZT-PMA-GV-1