Research On The Costumes Of The Early Tang Bodhisattvas At Dunhuang Mogao Caves

Dunhuang is located at the westernmost end of the Hexi Corridor,on the north-western border of the ancient Central Plains dynasty,and became a transportation stronghold on the overland Silk Road,where Buddhism flourished in the late Han and Wei Dynasties.During the Tang Dynasty,the country flourished,Buddhism developed,and numerous caves were opened with exquisite murals,providing a rich and valuable source of costume for the study of ancient Buddhist dress.In Buddhist art,the images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas best reflect the blend of Western and Chinese cultures,with Bodhisattvas being particularly striking for their unique status and attire.Not only are they elegant in stature,but they are also dressed in many layers of costume and richly ornate accessories,making them representative of the exchange and fusion of Western and Chinese costume,and Buddhist and secular dress.The thesis is divided into five parts: the first part introduces the aims,significance and innovations of the study;the second part takes the images of bodhisattvas in murals and painted sculptures from the Mogao Caves before the early Tang dynasty as its object,and classifies and analyses the sources of the head,upper and lower garments of bodhisattvas from the Northern and Sui dynasties respectively;the first four subsections of the third part classify and analyse the sources of the head,upper and lower garments of bodhisattvas,and the last two subsections explore the materials,colours,techniques and styles of bodhisattva dress;and the fourth part explores the causes of bodhisattva dress in the early Tang dynasty.The conclusions reached in this paper are as follows: firstly,the early Tang period was richly decorated with bodhisattva head crowns,with double-ringed pearl three-sided crowns being the most popular;the upper garments were popular with monk's girdles,lapel armpits and drapes,and later with slender lapel armpits;the lower garments were popular with single-layer long skirts,double-layer long skirts and waist skirts,and later with light cage skirts with waist skirts and short skirts;the early Tang bodhisattva garments were mostly in green and red,with a wide range of decorative motifs.Secondly,the early Tang Bodhisattva costumes were mainly influenced by three aspects: firstly,from the Indian statue and costume style,which laid the foundation for the magnificent costumes;secondly,from the influence of the costumes of secular figures in the Central Plains;thirdly,by the aesthetic and influence of the Central Plains,which tended to be feminine and secular,and the enhancement of the local painting techniques of the Central Plains,which made the figures more refined and subtle.