Sagas, deities, and hells: Ming dynasty wall paintings at the Temple of the Three Lords.

摘要

This dissertation presents the wall paintings of the Temple of the Three Lords (Dongyue Ji Yi miao) as a case study to illuminate the images of popular religion and highlight the role of workshop practice in the making of these images during the Ming dynasty. In 1507, the Chang and Chen family workshops completed the wall paintings at this temple, located in Yangwang, Xinjiang in southwest Shanxi, formerly called Pingyang during that period. Temple steles record dozens of donors, who were local officials and commoners. Along with its paintings and clay sculptures, the temple was built to honor the three lords: Dongyue, God of the Eastern Peak; and Hou Ji and Bo Yi, two figures from early classics.; Chapter I gives a survey of the region and the temple. Chapter II examines the worship and patronage of the three lords, who were important in the religious life in Pingyang.; Chapter III explores the workshop practices and situates the paintings of this temple in the artistic tradition of the Pingyang region. I look into the derivation of meanings of selective images and their revitalization within a new context of popular religion.; Chapter IV examines the four narrative stories, Jiang Yuan Giving Birth to Hou Ji, Official Careers of Hou Ji and Bo Yi, Sacrifice to the Jade Emperor and Hou Ji, and Paying Homage to Mount Tai. I discuss how the lords' saga handed down from the remote classic age were renewed and re-interpreted in the service of worship in this local temple.; Chapter V looks at the two largest scenes on both gable walls, the Assembly of the Three Lords and the Assembly of the Three Saints. Through the examination of individual images, I argue that the pantheon and paradise in both scenes bring to light the diverse concerns of the local patrons.; Chapter VI is devoted to the Procession of the Great Emperor Zhang of Cishan and the Abyss of Fengdu on the south walls. These two paintings, which were derived from folk beliefs and popular culture, are viewed as subsidiary themes complementing the cult of Dongyue.