Cave Temples of Mogao at Dunhuang: Art and History on the Silk Road, Second Edition / Edition 2

by Roderick Whitfield, Susan Whitfield, Neville Agnew

Overview

The Mogao grottoes in China, situated near the town of Dunhuang on the fabled Silk Road, constitute one of the world’s most significant sites of Buddhist art. The hundreds of caves carved into rock cliffs at the edge of the Gobi desert preserve one thousand years of exquisite art. Founded by Buddhist monks as an isolated monastery in the late fourth century, Mogao evolved into an artistic and spiritual mecca whose renown extended from the Chinese capital to the Western Kingdoms of the Silk Road. Among its treasures are miles of stunning wall paintings, more than two thousand statues, magnificent works on silk and paper, and thousands of ancient manuscripts, such as sutras, poems, and prayer sheets.
 
In this new expanded edition, Cave Temples of Mogao at Dunhuang, first published in 2000, combines lavish color photographs of the caves and their art with the fascinating history of the Silk Road to create a vivid portrait of this remarkable site. Chapters narrate the development of Dunhuang and the Mogao cave temples, the iconography of the wall paintings, and the extraordinary story of the rare manuscripts—including the oldest printed book in existence, a ninth-century copy of the Diamond Sutra. The book also discusses the collaboration between the Getty Conservation Institute and Chinese authorities in conservation projects at Mogao, and the ways in which the site can be visited today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781606064450
Publisher:	Getty Publications
Publication date:	09/15/2015
Series:	Conservation & Cultural Heritage
Edition description:	Second Edition, Revised
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	707,142
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Roderick Whitfield is Percival David Professor emeritus in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. Susan Whitfield is head of the International Dunhuang Project, British Library. Neville Agnew is a former principal project specialist at the Getty Conservation Institute.

Editorial Reviews

An excellent introduction to the subject, with fine reproductions of the caves’ painted interiors.”
 

T: The New York Times Style Magazine - Anna Sherman

“…[the] detailed examination and analysis of every aspect of the project…makes it stand out as an exemplar of its type.”—Journal of the Institute of Conservation
 
 

From the Publisher