Temple Paintings Research Articles

Cultural rituality and heritage revitalization values of ancestral temple architecture painting art from the perspective of relational sociology theory

Recent research has primarily focused on the genealogical relationship between ancestral temple painting and its spatial carriers, highlighting a shift in perspective from artistry to symbolism to kinship. While some scholars have noted the influence of ritual culture on architectural painting, few have explored its kinship relationship with architectural carriers. By incorporating relational sociology theory, this study chronologically reviews events influencing the formation of ancestral temple ritual culture, constructs a developmental model, and conducts case studies on the ethicality of architectural painting art, thus establishing a relational sociology analysis framework. Findings: (1) Ancestral temple architectural painting exhibits the ethicality and educational value inherent in Confucian concepts; (2) Themes such as immortal life, literati and scholars, and common folk simplicity highlight the spiritual and material kinship of ancestral temple painting. The vocabulary used in titles such as "He (rapprochement-和)", "He (reunification-合)", "wealth (财)", "happiness (乐)", "blessing (福)", and "longevity (寿)" reveals a positive transmission of Confucian values; (3) The five main artistic expressions of ancestral temple painting are metaphor through objects (借物喻意), the personification of events (以人喻事), using the past to illuminate the present (借古喻今), expressing aspirations through objects (托物喻志), and pun-based symbolism (谐音寓意); (4) The decorative elements of ancestral temples correspond to the forms of their painting art, with the former extending the space of the tomb sacrificial system and the latter representing artistic inheritance. The development of ancestral temple architecture has formed dual developmental contexts centered on ritual culture and supplemented by academic dissemination, fluctuating with the status of Confucianism. The relational sociology model shows that the political aspects of ancestral temples form a sub-lineage of their ritual culture, closely linked to reforms in the educational system and transformations in building functions, further influencing architectural form and decorative art.

Собор святых, в земле Красноярской просиявших. К вопросу иконографии

At the turn of the XX-XXI centuries the list of saints of the Orthodox Church has been replenished with an impressive number of names of new martyrs and confessors who suffered during the Soviet era. In this regard, such a phenomenon as the "Synaxes of the Saints of the Diocese" has spread widely. As you know, each Catholic memory of saints established in the Church involves veneration, therefore, new celebrations appear dedicated to the Synaxes of the ascetics of the Russian Church in various regions of the country. And this means that right now new iconographic images of the New Martyrs and locally venerated saints are being born. Modern icon painters are actively engaged in the creation of icons and temple paintings that glorify the new saints and tell about the torment and executions to which they were subjected. In 2015, the Synaxe of Saints of the Krasnoyarsk Metropolis was established. To date, only three icons dedicated to the Synaxe of the Krasnoyarsk Saints are known. The article for the first time examines the process of adding the iconography of the Synaxe of the Krasnoyarsk Saints within the framework of church canonical art, defines its historical and partly theological aspects, analyzes compositional and stylistic devices, shows the role of symbolism in revealing the image, determines the uniqueness of the figurative solution, identifies some problems and trends in the development of modern church art. painting in Krasnoyarsk. The author for the first time introduces new names of Krasnoyarsk masters and their works into scientific circulation.

Theological Aspects of the Formation of the Theory of the Artistic Image in Byzantium IV—XIV Centuries.

The subject of the research is the formation of the theological theory of the image in the church-artistic tradition of Christian art. The aim is to identify the main aspects of the formation of the theory of the image in the pre-Iconoclastic period based on the works of representatives of the Cappadocian school, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Maxim the Confessor, John of Damascus, as well as after the approval of icon veneration, reflected in the works of Patriarch Gregory of Constantinople, Theodore the Studite, Simeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas and Patriarch Nikephoros. To trace how the influence of theological thought was reflected in Byzantine church art. To determine the specific features of the phenomenon of the iconographic image and to highlight the significance of its dogmatic foundations in religious art. In the study of the works of Byzantine theologians, historical and cultural analysis was used, which allowed a more holistic view of the worldview of the era in which they created, and the ideas they defended. The study allows us to conclude that for the defenders of icon worship, the "soil" was prepared by the great theologians of the Cappadocian school, who in turn converted and reinterpreted the Neoplatonic teachings of Plotinus, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, who transformed their ideas into a christocentric doctrine of salvation. The dogmatic ideas of the theologians influenced the change of the ancient art form, giving it a new content, which, in turn, can become an important criterion that helps to identify and evaluate genuine spirituality in the works of church art. The study of the theological theory of the image is an important element in determining the fidelity of the artistic transmission of the essence of the creed and understanding of the sacred content of medieval temple painting, as well as a necessary reference point for modern icon painters, allowing them to choose in their work a system of expressive means corresponding to theological dogmas.

A Study on the Materials Used in the Ancient Architectural Paintings from the Qing Dynasty Tibetan Buddhist Monastery of Puren, China.

Situated in the village of Lama Temple on the eastern bank of the Wulie River in Chengde, Puren Temple stands as one of the few remaining royal temples of great importance from the Kangxi era (1662-1722 AD). This ancient edifice has greatly contributed to the advancement of our comprehension regarding the art of royal temple painting. The present study undertakes a comprehensive analysis and identification of nine samples obtained from the beams and ceiling paintings within the main hall of Puren Temple. Furthermore, a systematic examination of their mineral pigments and adhesives is conducted. The findings from polarized light microscopy (PLM), energy-type X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (ED-XRF), micro-Raman spectroscopy (m-RS), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analyses reveal that the pigments present in the main hall beams of Puren Temple are cinnabar, lead white, lapis lazuli, and lime green, while the pigments in the ceiling paintings consist of cinnabar, staghorn, lead white, lapis lazuli, and lime green. The use of animal glue as a binder for these pigments on both the main hall beams and ceiling paintings is confirmed via pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-Gc/Ms) results. These findings hold significant implications for the future restoration of Puren Temple, as they provide valuable guidance for the selection of appropriate restoration materials.

REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MURAL PAINTINGS OF ODISHA: A SPECIAL FOCUS ON PAINTINGS OF BIRANCHINARAYAN TEMPLE OF GANJAM

The Painting culture of Odisha has in relation to her social and religious life. Since prehistoric times, Odisha has witnessed the advancement of this visual art. As literature, the painting of the medieval Odisha has obtained great success. Contemporary temples and Mathas in Odisha present wall paintings on the topic of epics and secular ideologies. However, while studying the history of women in medieval Odisha, the painting of the time is the key source to make an authentic framework on this subject. Historical data from that time do not provide sufficient information about the contributions, roles, and status of women in society. The mural paintings of the eighteenth century, mainly in the Ganjam region of Odisha, reflect the social, religious, and cultural life of women. Biranchinarayan temple painting is one of the finest mediaeval paintings in the area. The stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata are vivid depictions on the walls of this temple of the sun. However, portraying female figures in these murals also sheds light on their status and positions in society. The painting of the Rama–Sita wedding ceremony on the wall of this Biranchinarayan temple is the best part of all the murals. Odia traditions, dress styles and wedding ceremonies are reflected in Ramayana’s paintings. The monogamy culture of medieval Odisha is mostly highlighted.

Study on the Uniqueness of Vessanthara Jataka Stories in Sri Lankan Buddhist Temple Paintings (1750 - 1900 A.D)

Archeological and literary sources attest that the “Jataka Stories” were subject to temple paintings from the second century onwards. The Vessanthara Jataka has featured prominently among temple painting in several eras of Sri Lankan history. Vessanthara jataka is a famous jataka story which is highlighted among other jataka stories in Buddhist shrines. The specialty given to the Vessanthara jataka in the paintings of Kandy era is particularly noticeable. This feature can be clearly observed in the temples which were built between 1750 and 1900. Some of these temples, located in the up country were patronized by royals like King Kirthi Sri Raja Singha. Other temples in the low country were built with the patronage of the rising middle class. Even with many fluctuating political and social issues, it seems the prominence given to the depiction of the Vessantara jataka was stable and unshakable. Giving priority to the Vessanthara jataka seems to have been a process carried out by a group of patrons, monks, artists and general public patrons who may have expected to achieve their political and social targets through the depiction of the vessanthara jatakaya. Buddhist monks have also attempted to convey the message of Buddhism through the depiction of Vessanthara jatakaya. Artists may have been interested in depiction of the “Vessanthara jataka” story because it was an opportunity to display their talent and attract others. It seems that the general public was also attracted to the Vessanthara jatakaya because of the characters of that jataka story and its sensitive and emotional scenes. The paper will examine the allocation of space to the Vessanthara jataka and its tactful visual techniques.

Features of Solving Plots in Temple Painting by the Founders of the Religious-national Trend and Artists of the Circle of M. M. Vasiliev

The subject of the study is to identify the peculiarities in solving the plots of church painting of individual representatives of the religious-national trend of the turn of the XIX - XX centuries. The purpose is to show the development of national trends of Russian monumental church art by the founders of the religious-national trend on the examples of the work of V. M.Vasnetsov, M. V. Nesterov, M.A. Vrubel and artists M. M. Vasiliev, A. P. Blaznov, L. A. Pyanovsky, K. S. Petrov-Vodkin, F. R. Raylian, to identify similarities and differences in the manner and in the transmission of images and compositions, as well as to substantiate the significance of these differences for art history. The basis of art criticism research is the formal stylistic method of G. Velflin, the iconographic method of N. P. Kondakov, the iconological method of E. Panofsky; the method of phenomenological analysis of the aesthetic perception of the artistic work of V. V. Bychkov and G. K. Wagner. Comparative analysis of murals by artists M. M. Vasiliev, A. P. Blaznov, L. A. Pyanovsky, F. R. Raylian, K. S. Petrov-Vodkin in comparison with the work of representatives of the "Vasnetsov school" allowed us to see the development of the national style in art, from an abstract-figurative understanding to a conscious spiritual-symbolic interpretation of church painting of the Middle Ages and pre-Petrine Russia as an integral artistic phenomenon of the religious-national trend. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the example of the artists of the "Vasiliev circle" revealed a kind of overcoming of one of the main problems of the iconographic image, which consists in maintaining a delicate balance of life-likeness and ideality. In their works, in the context of interpretation, the measure of realism of the image is traced, in which the spiritual content can be embodied in a material form without losing its sacred content, which is a valuable example for modern artists who set themselves the task of creating images without copying, but remaining in the canon.

Cultural View on the Scheme of the Dome and Altar Painting of the Orthodox Church

The purpose of the work is to show the difference and interdependence between the schemes of paintings of the dome and the altar of the Orthodox Church and their purpose as the most sacred spaces. The research methodology consists in the application of a number of approaches. The analytical method is used to comprehend the literature on the topic of the article; the interdisciplinary method helps to comprehensively study the factual material and obtain new knowledge; and the systemic approach with a whole range of methods (semiotic, culturological, iconographic, field (namely, collection of visual material), hermeneutic, descriptive, comparative, and theoretical generalisation). The scientific novelty of the study is that for the first time the dome and the altar of the Orthodox Church are considered as identically sacred parts of it and at the same time as the most sacred temple spaces, which is reflected in the schemes of their paintings. Conclusions. In the inner space of the Orthodox Church, religious ideas about the ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ world, about the sacred and profane space are concretised with the help of architecture and sacred images recorded in the monumental church painting. In the temple, which is sacred in its purpose, however, there are differences in the expression of holiness. These differences from the point of view of the cultural approach can be marked by the binary opposition "sanctus – sacer". Thus, both the domed and the altar space of the Orthodox Church reflect the main church dogmas and doctrinal truths, which emphasises their sacredness in the sense of sanctus. At the same time, the painting of the sacred space of the dome reflects the Orthodox teachings open to every Christian, while the painting of the altar emphasises that this place of service of the "initiates" is available only to priests, performers of church rites, mainly the Eucharist.
 Key words: sacred space, temple painting, dome, altar, temple painting scheme, sacred, iconographic theme.

Sketch 'God the Father beholding dead Christ' of Vladimir L. Borovikovsky as a synthesis of the western European and the Orthodox tradition

Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky, little Russian icon painter and St. Petersburg portrait painter, combined western European painting language and the Orthodox religion in his creativity. The sources of the painter's susceptibility to western European influence lie in his Ukrainian origin — the atmosphere of active interaction of Orthodox and Catholic cultures developed in Little Russia of XVIII. At XVIII—early XIX century icon and temple painting was approaching secular art and came under influence of European baroque and academism. Religious painting, that is the subject of the study, occupied an important place in the creativity of the painter. Master's icons and pictures demonstrate nontrivial iconographic, conceptual and dogmatic solutions. The sketch 'God the Father beholding dead Christ' from collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery is example of an original thought of the artist, who based it on the western European composition scheme, but gave it new meaning. The study theme is exploring features of interpretation by V. Borovikovsky of Catholic the Holy Trinity iconography. In order to identify specific motifs and ideas borrowed from Western European art and the Orthodox iconography of the Otechestvo (the Fatherland), which influenced the composition of the sketch, a comparative iconographic and stylistic analysis of works with similar iconography was carried out: with a fresco from the church in Marino (Rome) attributed to Guidoreni, and a painting by P.P. Rubens 'The Holy Trinity'. The iconographic analysis showed connection between of the sketch and wester European scheme 'God the Father contemplating the dead Christ', which goes back to iconographies 'God the Father holding a Crucifix' and Pieta, and to orthodox iconography Otechestvo. V. Borovikovsky rethinks traditional motifs, typical for the European painting (motifs of parental grief and reminder of sinfulness) and for the Orthodox icon painting (motifs of triumph over death). Stylistic analysis showed that the master formulates his own interpretation of the images of God the Father and God the Son, unifying both the Orthodox and the western European approaches. V. Borovikovsky borrows reception of relationship the Sabaoth and Christ as loving the Father and the Son, but doesn't borrow tragic reception of the plot, replacing it with the idea of the comprehensive divine love and the triumph over death. Thus, V. Borovikovsky combines icon symbolism and immediacy of realistic painting.

Process of Developing Characters in an Eastern Story

The Chinese classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms has been reinterpreted by various authors and adapted into different media. In the novel, character images were shaped and the peculiarity of the characters’ characteristics was depicted by describing their behavior. This study uses Eastern and Western narrative theories to classify the character development (characterization) methods that various creators employed on this Chinese story in three distinct media (i.e., novel, antique book with illustrations, and temple painting). Thus, this study aims to identify the creation processes involved in characterization when adapting a literary work with substantial textual content. By integrating the results on Eastern and Western narratology approaches, a characterization method for the preproduction stage of animation was proposed. This explanation may serve as a reference for animation education and for creativity practices.

ХРИСТИАНСКИЕ ЦЕННОСТИ В НАСЛЕДИИ И ЖИЗНЕННОМ ПУТИ НИКОЛАЯ И СВЯТОСЛАВА РЕРИХОВ

For the first time in the article, the role of Christian values in the heritage and life of Nicholas Roerich and S.N. Roerich, their embodiment in the artistic work of these masters, is revealed on a large scale and in many ways: both on canvases and in temple painting. Special attention is paid to contacts with prominent representatives of Orthodoxy.

Comparative Study of the Illustrations and Images of the Chinese Classical Novel “Investiture of the Gods” in Woodblock Editions, Popular Prints and Temple Paintings

The paper discusses visual material based the plot of the Ming dynasty novel Fengshen yanyi (“Investiture of the Gods”, “封神演義”,), formed on the basis of a large corpus of written historical works and Song—Yuan vernacular literature. Various illustrated woodblock and lithographic editions of the novel (published before 1911) are discussed in chronological order with focus on the special features and artistic level of the illustrations, their content and technique are compared. Artisans' approaches to interpretation of the novel is also a subject of discussion. Popular woodblock prints nianhua from Russian collections are examined in order to trace whether connections with book illustrations exist and what episodes of the novel became more popular and for what reason. The paper refers to materials stored in prominent libraries, museums and research centres of Russia, Europe, US and Asia.

The peculiarities of modern religious painting in the Crimean temple architecture of (on the example of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Simferopol and Saint Vladimir Cathedral in Chersonesos)

The traditions followed by people throughout history underlie the development of the culture of monumental art, forming the continuity of generations, memory and traditions of temple architecture of the Crimea. The topic of religious monumental painting draws interest of the researchers. The object of this article is the Crimean religious monumental and decorative art; while the subject is the peculiarities of modern religious painting in Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Simferopol and Saint Vladimir Cathedral in Chersonesos. The goal is determine the modern artistic-aesthetic form of temple painting carried out by the experts of monumental and decorative art, as well as the command of the unique languages of creative reinterpretation of wholeness. Temple religious painting is explored on the works of the modern artists of monumental religious painting, using the analysis of the academic style of painting, use of classical canons in images of the figures, artistic-stylistic, thematic, unique systems in the ornamental painting. The author determines the characteristics of the image such as material texture and plastic modeling of artistic form, which allows combining the modern wall paintings of the Crimean Orthodox churches of into a holistic system of material and spiritual values. The crucial theoretical-methodological vector of research is interweavement of the methods of culturology and art history, which reveals the techniques and peculiarities of academic painting in temple architecture.

From remote sensing and machine learning to the history of the Silk Road: large scale material identification on wall paintings

Automatic remote reflectance spectral imaging of large painted areas in high resolution, from distances of tens of meters, has made the imaging of entire architectural interior feasible. However, it has significantly increased the volume of data. Here we present a machine learning based method to automatically detect ‘hidden’ writings and map material variations. Clustering of reflectance spectra allowed materials at inaccessible heights to be properly identified by performing non-invasive analysis on regions in the same cluster at accessible heights using a range of complementary spectroscopic techniques. The world heritage site of the Mogao caves, along the ancient Silk Road, consists of 492 richly painted Buddhist cave temples dating from the fourth to fourteenth century. Cave 465 at the northern end of the site is unique in its Indo-Tibetan tantric Buddhist style, and like many other caves, the date of its construction is still under debate. This study demonstrates the powers of an interdisciplinary approach that combines material identification, palaeographic analysis of the revealed Sanskrit writings and archaeological evidence for the dating of the cave temple paintings, narrowing it down to the late twelfth century to thirteenth century.

Doing fieldwork in an acrylic hell: mediations between personhood, art and ethnography in a Thai mural painting

ABSTRACTIn this article, I explore how my scholarly training as an anthropologist informs the way I produce and understand what I do as a traditional Thai temple muralist. Thinking about personhood and context in the process of temple mural painting forges a new reading of murals as ethnographic texts that weave together diverse narrative content, fictional moments and experiential threads. The process of painting temple murals are, like the ethnographic works anthropologists build, a space through which multiple dialogues are encountered, referenced and negotiated. Using anthropology to think about my art practice in a Thai Buddhist temple outside of Thailand, I show how traditional Thai mural artists did not just paint scenes rich in historical and mythical meaning but were (and continue to be) shaped by the audiences who view their intricate and colourful creations. Mural painting, I conclude, is ethnography-in-process. Mural painters like anthropologists, constantly reflect on their art practice as a text sans words, in a dialectical process of entangled agencies as they spin tales of pasts, presents and futures in vivid hues on the walls of Buddhist temples.

The Heavenly Court: Daoist Temple Painting in China, 1200–1400. By Lennert Gesterkamp. Leiden: Brill, 2011. xxiv, 470 pp. (including 96 pp. of illustrations and one foldout). $187.00 (cloth).

The Heavenly Court: Daoist Temple Painting in China, 1200–1400. By Lennert Gesterkamp. Leiden: Brill, 2011. xxiv, 470 pp. (including 96 pp. of illustrations and one foldout). $187.00 (cloth).

The Heavenly Court: Daoist Temple Painting in China, 1200–1400 by Lennert Gesterkamp (review)

106 Journal of Chinese Religions is recommended to scholars of Chinese religion, religion and modernity, religion and migration issues, and China and Asian studies in general. NANLAI CAO, University of Hong Kong The Heavenly Court: Daoist Temple Painting in China, 1200–1400 LENNERT GESTERKAMP. Sinica Leidensia, vol. 96. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2011. xxiii, 280 pages. ISBN 978-90-04-18490-9. €140.00, US$199.00 hardcover. The Heavenly Court is a detailed study of one of the best known types of Daoist wall paintings, the court audience ritual. With an example acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum through a Japanese dealer in the 1930s and the publication of the Yonglegong 永樂宮 (Palace of Eternal Joy) murals in the 1960s, images of the divine court have long been of interest to both religious historians and art historians alike. Yet, the complex iconography of the paintings and lack of explanatory cartouches makes them a challenge to fully understand. By focusing on the subject of the chaoyuan tu 朝元圖, or “painting of an audience with the origin” (p. 1), from four different temples in North China and comparing them with a detailed study of Daoist liturgy, Gesterkamp is able to delineate the larger ritual context for this subject and locate areas where individual variation is possible. The book is composed of five main chapters with additional introduction and conclusion. The introduction defines the subject at hand and outlines the book. Chapter 1, “History and Development,” breaks the development of the chao 朝 audience theme into four phases—the “Early Phase, 400–700,” the “Transitional Phase 700–1000,” the “Middle Phase, 1000–1400,” and “Late Phase, 1400–Present”—as a starting point to explain the differences in content and style over time. For each of these phases, Gesterkamp uses available textual and pictorial evidence to determine the earliest form of the Daoist heavenly court and its potential change over time. The second half of this chapter is devoted to showing that chao audience themes in Daoist monasteries were the result of a long development in Chinese visual arts (both pictorial and sculptural) from the Han dynasty through the Song. Chapter 2, “Iconography,” is an in-depth description of the four mural programs specified in the Introduction. From the beginning we see the challenge of the topic at hand. Because “[v]ery often, no particular differentiation is made or iconographical attributes are given other than number of deities in a group, their particular location on a well, or the colour of their robes…” (p. 75), identifying the pictorial program requires detailed knowledge of the Book Reviews 107 specifics of patronage. Gesterkamp tackles this obstacle by contextualizing each site as much as possible in their geographical settings and summarizing previous scholarship. He then details the specific identification of the divinities depicted in each set of murals. Extensive illustrations and line drawings of the pictorial programs help the reader gain a sense of the complete pictorial program. Chapter 3, “Ritual Foundations,” connects the chaoyuan tu with Daoist liturgical texts to outline the conceptual framework within which patrons and painters worked. The chapter is divided into three sections dealing with different aspects of ritual and painting. In the first sections Gesterkamp summarizes Daoist liturgy and provides the reader with a narrative of possible rituals framed by the wall paintings. Following the same format as chapter 1, the second section outlines the development of the use of paintings to frame ritual space over time matching, as much as possible, the wall paintings with extant ritual texts. Importantly, he emphasizes that the images in Daoist temples had multiple functions depending on the viewer. Individual worshipers may choose to make offerings to divinities depicted within the temple. Yet, unlike the use of Buddhist icons as objects of worship, images in heavenly court scenes were primarily used to house divinities for particular rituals, such as the jiao 醮 offering. Thus, for the ritual specialist the paintings were a tool; present only to help purified actors in the ritual to visualize the deities invoked by the priest. Finally, in the third section, the composition of the wall painting is related to Daoist cosmology and altar settings. Gesterkamp proposes that paintings of chao-audiences can follow...

Arhetipske podobe vzhodnjaštva: moralično ogledalo Enejeve nove identitete

Epizoda o Kartagini v prvih štirih spevih Eneide predstavlja literano izhodišče za razpravo o oblikovanju in dinamiki Enejeve etnične identitete in z njo povezane etnične identitete Rimljanov nasploh. Interpretacija kartažanske epizode se naslanja na termin drugi in na koncept zaničevalne, stereotipne podobe občega drugega, ki je bila iznajdena med vojnami s Perzijci. Razprava skuša dokazati, da kartažanska epizoda oblikuje historično in literarno podobo drugega z vzporejanjem mitološkega drugega, Trojancev, s historičnimi Kartažani. Vergilijeve arhetipske podobe vzhodnjaške drugačnosti avtorica razume kot speculum morum, ki odseva problematično trojansko dediščino Rimljanov in terja etnično preobrazbo.

A Newly Discovered Buddhist Temple and Wall Paintings at Dandan-Uiliq in Xinjiang

Dandan-Uiliq is situated in the hinterland of the Taklamakan Desert, in Cele County, Khotan Prefecture of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China, about 90 km north of Domoko, 60 km east of the Khotan Darya river and 30 km west of the Keriya Darya (see Fig. 1). The site was first discovered in 1896 by the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin on his journey through the Taklamakan Desert,1 and was subsequently excavated in 1900-1901 by the British archaeologist Marc Aurel Stein. Stein cleared 17 dwellings and temples,2 and excavated a large number of artefacts including documents in Chinese and Brahmi, woodblock paintings, sculpted figures, and wall paintings. The site was also visited in 1905 by the American geographer Ellsworth Huntington,3 and again in 1928, by the German geographer Emil Trinkler with the Swiss botanist Walter Bosshard.4 For almost seventy years, this desert site remained untouched, until specialists from the Xinjiang Archaeological Research Institute visited Dandan-Uiliq in 1996. In 1998 Christoph Baumer also led an expedition there and made additional discoveries.5 In October 2002, a joint Chinese-Japanese expedition consisting of a team from the Xinjiang Cultural Relics Bureau, the Xinjiang Archaeological Research Institute and the Niya Research Institute of Bukkyo University, Japan (Kyoto) discovered fragments of wall paintings protruding from the site of a Buddhist temple. The following month, the Xinjiang Archaeological Research Institute undertook rescue excavation work. This was the first time that a specialist team from a Chinese cultural relics and archaeological institute had formally excavated at Dandan-Uiliq.

Ten lives of the Buddha: Siamese Temple Paintings and Jataka Tales. By Elizabeth Wray, Clare Rosenfeld, and Dorothy Bailey, with photographs by Joe D. Wray. Weatherhill: New York and Tokyo, 1972. Distributed in the United Kingdom by Phaidon Press. Pp. 154, 24 plates. £5.50, $12.95.

Ten lives of the Buddha: Siamese Temple Paintings and Jataka Tales. By Elizabeth Wray, Clare Rosenfeld, and Dorothy Bailey, with photographs by Joe D. Wray. Weatherhill: New York and Tokyo, 1972. Distributed in the United Kingdom by Phaidon Press. Pp. 154, 24 plates. £5.50, $12.95.