试论敦煌莫高窟十六国至北朝时期覆斗形顶(下)——覆斗顶窟与崖墓

A Study on the Truncated Pyramidal Ceilings from the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern Dynasties Periods at the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes (Ⅱ)——Caves and Rock-cut Tombs with Truncated Pyramidal Ceilings

本文主要借助迄今考古发现中的四川东汉崖墓,与莫高窟十六国至北朝时期的覆斗形顶洞窟的顶部形态作一比较,发现了东汉崖墓墓顶与莫高窟早期覆斗顶之间共享的诸多特征,并就其中的一个显著特征,即三层方井抹角叠置形制在四川崖墓顶和莫高窟覆斗顶中的反复出现予以特别关注;并以此为契机,重新审视之前学界关于莫高窟覆斗顶营造之初作者意图的一些讨论。

This paper uses archaeological discoveries of the remains of cliff tombs from the Eastern Han dynasty in Sichuan Province to conduct a comparative study on the truncated pyramidal ceilings in the caves at Mogao constructed from the Sixteen Kingdoms period to the Northern Dynasties period and identifies several features shared by the two sets of caves. Special attention has been paid to a particularly striking type of truncated pyramidal ceilings known as the Laternendecke ceiling, which is a wooden ceiling design consisting of three successively smaller squares laid diagonally above one another that appear frequently in cliff tombs and Mogao caves from the Han dynasty. By concentrating on significant details from relevant written records and archeological finds, the author also responds to several entrenched understandings regarding original intention of the artisans who used this style of ceiling in the caves at Mogao.