從佛像服飾和題材布局及仿帳、仿木構再論麥積山北朝窟龕分期=RESTUDIES ON THE PERIODIZATION OF THE CAVES AND NICHES OF THE NORTHERN DYNASTIES AT MAIJISHAN GROTTOES BASED ON THE COSTUME STYLES OF THE BUDDHA IMAGES,ARRANGEMENTS OF MOTIFS AND THE IMITATIONS OF CANOPIES AND WOODEN STRUCTURES
The Maijishan Grottoes have 221 numbered caves and niches,of which the ones opened in the Northern Dynasties,have the most quantity,the largest scale and the longest duration.Since the 1980s,the issue of the periodization of Majishan Grottoes has been continuously concerned by the scholars.Based on the previous researches by these scholars,this paper selects the costume styles of the Buddha images,the arrangements of motifs and 99 caves and niches with relatively complete imitations of canopies and wooden structures preserved inor in front of them to study with methods of archaeological typology and then discusses the periodization of the caves and niches of Maijishan Grottoes.By the evolution sequences of the abovementioned contents,the caves and niches of Maijishan Grottoes can be divided into five phases.Referring to the caves and niches with exact dates or clearer evolution sequences in Yungang,Longmen,Xiangtang Shan Grottoes of the Northern Dynasties and the Qixiashan Grottoes of the Southern Dynasties opened with the sponsors by the imperial court or aristocrats and the Buddhist sculptures of the Southern Dynasties unearthed in Chengdu region,as well as the historic literature and the inscriptions,this paper speculates that the Phase Ⅰ of Maijishan Grottoes corresponds to the beginning of the reign of Emperor Xiaowen(471 AD)to the Jingming Era in the reign of Emperor Xuanwu(500-503 AD),Phase Ⅱcorresponds to the Jingming Era(500-503 AD)to the downfall of the Northern Wei Dynasty(534 AD),Phase Ⅲ corresponds to the Western Wei Dynasty(535-556 AD),PhaseⅣ corresponds to the Northern Zhou Dynasty(before the Dharma Disaster,557-574 AD)and Phase Ⅴ,the Sui Dynasty(581-618 AD).The difference of this paper’s periodization from the previous ones is that the contents of the remains subjected to typological analyses in this paper are more clear and definite;what special is that the costume styles of the Buddha images,which are preserved relatively intact and have the longest temporal duration and the widest spatial scope,are subject to the typological analyses.The new conclusions on the periodization of the Maijishan Grottoes of this paper can be seen as the ones drawn from the comprehensive views of the evolutions of the Buddhist grottoes and the changes of the individual Buddhist sculptures in China.
