On the Origin and Dissemination of the Ceiling Images in Cave 13 of Yungang
The image of the ceiling of the 13th cave of Yungang consists of a arc-shaped band attached to the light above the main body and two intertwined dragons.The band on the ceiling,which can be traced back to the earliest depictions of trees behind the statues in the Buddhist sculptures of Gandhara and Mathura,known as the"Canopied sacred tree."The fruits of the vine branches within this band may represent the"trees with fruits like glass color"in the Tusita Heaven,which,together with the intertwined dragons(possibly dragon kings protecting the trees or bringing rain for them),form the beautiful scenery of Tusita Heaven.The side decorations of the Northern Wei back-screen statues in northern Henan and the lotus patterns on the round arches and the inner halo tops of some statues in the Longmen Grottoes during the late Northern Wei period have varying degrees of kinship with the ceiling images of Cave 13 at Yungang.
万方数据
维普
