Gate of Heaven: Caisson Ceilings

This book discusses the representation， connotation， and significance of Dunhuang patterns and motifs from multicultural and diverse social backgrounds， extending to the relationship between Dunhuang patterns and contemporary popular culture.

Jia Xizeng

Jia Xizeng is a Postdoctoral fellow， associate professor， and Masters supervisor at the Academy of Arts & Design， Tsinghua University; member of the Academic Committee of China Fashion Designers Association; committee member of the Clothing Professional Committee， China Museums Association; editorial board member of Fashion Designer， Journal of Fashion and Journal of Donghua University （Social Science Edition）.

Transition Period： Exquisite Beauty

The Sui Dynasty， established in 581 CE and ending in 618 CE， lasted only 37 years yet created a remarkably brilliant culture of caisson ceiling decorations. This period also saw the most cave constructions in Dunhuang， laying the foundation for the flourishing Tang Dynasty cave mural art. Under the influence of the Central Plains regime， Central Plains patterns flooded into Dunhuang， merging with Central Asian styles， ushering in a unique period of rich and exotic caisson patterns in Dunhuang caves.

Building upon the overlapping caisson styles of the Northern Dynasties， the Sui Dynasty developed new styles such as flying apsaras lotus patterns， intertwined lotus patterns， and multi-petaled large lotus patterns. Although the lotus motif remained dominant， it evolved from the Northern Dynasties circular style to an eight-petaled large lotus， gaining a more realistic depiction. During this time， whether in decorative themes， pictorial structure， or color shades， all were richer than in the Northern Dynasties.

One of the most representative motifs in Sui Dynasty caissons is the “Three Rabbits in the Lotus Flower，” featuring black and white double-layered lotuses at the center， symbolizing ‘metal and ‘water in the ancient Chinese color system， correlating to the Five Elements of metal， wood， water， fire， and earth. White， signifying nobility， is painted on the ceiling， while black represents “water，” symbolizing overcoming fire. Within the double-layered lotus， three rabbits are portrayed in pursuit of each other， each with a complete and independent image. When combined， their three ears form an equilateral triangle， creating a circular pattern that complements the motif. This ingenious design seamlessly unifies the dynamic scene， bringing it to the center of vision. Surrounding the double-layered lotus pattern are eight red-garbed apsaras dancing in the clouds， positioned in different directions， their fluid and elegant lines breaking the central stable layout， as if the entire lotus revolves with the flying apsaras. The caissons core is adorned with neatly arranged triangular drapes， representing the outermost decoration. The precision and varying colors of these drapes exemplify the traditional Chinese concept of unity in diversity. The overall pattern moves beyond the simplicity of the Northern Dynasties， with extensive use of cold tones of stone green and blue， interspersed with touches of red and white， creating a strong visual impact through complementary and contrasting colors， thereby enhancing its artistic appeal. The motif of the three rabbits often appears as the main pattern in Sui Dynasty caisson ceilings， with remarkably similar designs found in Mogao Caves 407， 406， and 420. Various-sized beads from Western Asia are meticulously arranged around and diagonally to the caisson pattern， visually enhancing its brightness and depth.

Sui Dynasty caisson patterns exhibit significant changes in pictorial structure， thematic content， decorative techniques， and color application compared to the Northern Dynasties， adding a sense of lively natural beauty to the dignified simplicity. Simultaneously， they laid a solid foundation for the flourishing of Tang Dynasty caisson art.

Flourishing Period： Dazzling Intricacy

In the Tang Dynasty， with increased interaction between the Central Plains and the Western Regions， new developments emerged in Dunhuang caisson patterns， characterized by complex structures， intricate decorations， and lavish colors.

Early Tang caisson patterns， while maintaining the structural framework of the Sui Dynasty， began to subtly evolve， notably with a broader central area， fewer decorative layers on the periphery， and a focus on highlighting the central motif. The central motifs typically featured grape pomegranate patterns， pomegranate lotus patterns， and lotus patterns. The lotus pattern remained the mainstream caisson motif of this period， with its diverse forms leading to different types like the flat-petal lotus pattern， peach-shaped petal lotus pattern， and irregular lotus pattern caissons. The pomegranate and grape patterns come from exotic lands. The pomegranate or grape lotus caisson patterns are arranged in a “cross” or “X” shape. The realistic grape patterns are often used with lotus patterns. The gaps are filled with small lotus flowers， cloud patterns， etc. to form a neat layout. The four corners of the square caissons were adorned with quarter-circles， symbolizing the unity of the square within the circle and the circle within the square， representing the unity of heaven and earth.

The caissons border in this stage still features the bead pattern common in the Sui Dynasty. While maintaining the Sui Dynasty style in its decorative structure， the pattern now exhibits bright yellow， white， and green hues， signaling a transition towards the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The three-rabbit lotus pattern caisson motif resurfaced during this period. While retaining the imagery from the Sui Dynasty， the original double-layered eight-petal lotus pattern transformed into a four-petal peach-shaped lotus composition. The lotus structure became intricate， with a substantial flower head and vibrant green and blue hues. Drawing inspiration from the Sui Dynasty style， a fresh content expression emerged， portraying the empires robust vitality and compelling artistic tension.

The height of Dunhuang decorative patterns was during the prosperous Tang Dynasty. In this era， the variety of decorative motifs， structural forms， color applications， and artistic appeal reached unparalleled levels of perfection. Accordingly， the caisson decorations evolved from simple to intricate， with increasing layers， resulting in densely packed yet orderly designs， characterized by their lavish complexity and organized elegance.

To convey complexity and warmth， the central area of the caissons was reduced in size and recessed more deeply. Although the periphery of the square caissons still featured border and drape decorations， the layers increased significantly， with smaller patterns near the center and larger ones further away， creating a strong sense of depth in the limited space. The traditional two-century-old triangular tooth pattern in drape decorations was replaced by leaf， bead， and bell ornaments， achieving exquisite and luxurious detail. Common Sui Dynasty motifs like bead chains and diamond patterns were often superseded by intertwined vine patterns， presenting a lively and extraordinary scene.

The grouping of flower patterns， particularly the Baoxiang flower pattern of the late Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras， was especially splendid. The Baoxiang flower， with its lotus pattern framework， incorporated various styles like Persian pomegranate， ancient Greek honeysuckle， Central Plains native peony， and cloud patterns. The color use contrasts the complex imagery. It was simple， mostly using earthy red as the base， with its complementary color stone blue for outlines and white for highlighting or filling. Sometimes， the colors of the pattern and base were reversed， achieving multi-layered color effects with limited shades， fully reflecting the opulence of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

The An Lushan Rebellion led to the irreversible decline of the Tang Dynastys grandeur， affecting its communication with the Central Plains. Mid-Tang cave decorations lacked the complexity and splendor of the prosperous Tang but gained a fresh and elegant charm， moving towards simplification and standardization， and introducing new patterns like camellia， lions， and phoenixes.

The caisson centers of the Mid-Tang era were moderately sized， still predominantly featuring various lotus patterns. The camellia pattern， new to this period， often appeared as the central motif or border decoration. The border decoration around the caisson center maintained a consistent width， but with fewer layers， mainly featuring vine and geometric patterns. Geometric patterns， in addition to the original diamond and squared shapes， included swastika patterns later.

The drape decorations reverted to the triangular pattern， and combinations of birds， beasts， and lotuses became significant themes of this period. The lion and curled petal lotus pattern caisson in Mogao Cave 231 is a classic example of this motif. The lion symbolizes power， authority， and good fortune. At the center of the curled petal lotus， a lion was painted， surrounded by pomegranate vine patterns. The edges were delineated with two complementary colors， the outer area featuring swastika patterns on a blue background outlined in black. Each edge had a Garuda bird amidst vine patterns， playing music. The drape part was adorned with small triangular patterns. During this period， earthy yellow， earthy red， and stone green were commonly used as primary colors， creating a simple， stable， and precise psychological impression. The absence of extensive color contrasts imparts a sense of order， stability， and precision.

Melodious Sands Bodhi， Starlit Desert： A Study of Dunhuangs Decorative Patterns

Jia Xizeng

Hubei Fine Arts Publishing House

October 2020

128.00 （CNY）