A Study Of The Color Paintings On The Inner Eaves Of Qutan Temple

This thesis focuses on the color paintings on the ceilings and inner eaves of all the halls in Qutan Temple,a Tibetan Buddhist temple in Ledu county,Haidong of Qinghai province.Firstly,with a methodology in iconography,a systematic and complete categorization is done with the color paintings based on extensive literature review and fieldwork to provide first-hand information for researchers.Meanwhile,new findings are given.These findings include color paintings on the cross-beams,in the caved-in ceilings,ceilings,and link beams of the inner eaves,as well as the interlocking petals on the short beams of the Big and Small Bell Towers,Big and Small Drum Towers,and of the Vajra Hall.Another finding is the identification of the deities covered by canopies above the Vajra Buddha in Longguo Hall.In the colorful mandala are Heruka,Vajrabhairava,Guhyasamāja vajra and Rakta Yamari.This finding makes up the missing part in the discussion of color painting in this structure.Then new ideas are put forward to clarify some confusing understandings in the field.For example,about the application of yellow color,instead of being only applied to the inner eaves and ceilings of Longguo Hall,it has also been found in the center of the decorating flowers and embracing flowers on the short beams of the Big Bell Tower and Big Drum Tower.Instead of defining the color paintings of the inner eaves and ceilings as a combination of local styles,after fieldwork in some related temples in Hehuang,Gansu,and comparing the shapes of the flowers and the painting technique,the author of this thesis believes that the color paintings of the inner eaves and ceilings in Qutan Temple can be dated to the Ming Dynasty The color paintings of the inner eaves of Baoguang Hall is often believed to be of local styles.However,while examining the sample photos,it is found that the decorating flowers on middle sized and small sized link beams are laced with embracing petals and are nicely shaded,a typical characteristic of the official painting style of Ming.Therefore,the author of this thesis believes the color paintings of Baoguang Hall was repainted and the extant parts are of official style mingled with local ones.Last but not least,as a poplar temple of Tibetan Buddhism in the Ming Dynasty,large quantity of murals and color paintings on Tibet Buddhism can be found on the walls,beams and ceiling of the temple.The study on the identification of the deities of the murals as well as the painting style and significance is quite fruitful.However,the color paintings are seldom mentioned.Comparing these with the findings in two other temples in Gansu,Xianjiao temple in Yongdeng and Ganen temple in Hongcheng,an attempt has been made in this direction.