柏孜克里克石窟第17窟佛说大乘庄严宝王经变考释

A Study on the Avalokitesvara-guna-karanda-vyuha Sutra Illustration in Cave 17 at the Bezeklik Grottoes

考释了柏孜克里克石窟第17窟券顶的壁画,确定其中6幅壁画出自《佛说大乘庄严宝王经》,推测其余壁画大多出自该经。结合两侧壁壁画分析,认识到该窟是一个以观音为主尊、内涵丰富的洞窟。佛说大乘庄严宝王经变的考证,揭示了北宋时期中原与西域的文化交流,同时纠正了以往学界对第17窟年代的推定,即并非唐西州时期。结合窟内供养人族属的认定,我们初步将该窟壁画的绘制年代界定在北宋初(10世纪末)至回鹘归顺蒙古之前(13世纪初)。

This paper examines the wall paintings on the arched ceiling of cave 17 at the Bezeklik Grottoes, identifies that six of them derive from the Avalokitesvara-guna-karanda-vyuha Sutra, and proposes that most of the remaining works also likely from the same sutra. By associating these artworks with additional wall paintings on two side walls, this cave seems to be rich with contents focusing on Avalokitesvara as a central image. Discovery of the Avalokitesvara-guna-karanda-vyuha Sutra reveals cultural exchanges between the Central Plains and Western Regions areas during the Northern Song dynasty and also corrects the previously accepted assumption that the text does not date back to the Xizhou period of the Tang dynasty. By identifying the clan to which the donor figures in the caves belong, the author preliminarily dates the wall paintings to the Northern Song dynasty （late 10th century） , prior to the Uighur surrender to the Mongolians （early 13th century） .