麦积山石窟"伏羲女娲"图像辨析

麦积山石窟169、69窟间浮塑交龙装饰龛楣图像,长期被一些研究者误读为“伏羲女娲”,并与天水作为“伏羲女娲”故乡的人文背景相联系。本文在详细考察洞窟图像的基础上,结合佛教经典与文献的相关记载,并参照国内其它石窟的龙装饰图像的情况,指出交龙龛饰的石窟造型图像是佛教中“天龙八部”之一的护持佛法的龙众,是佛国世界的守护神。麦积山石窟交龙龛饰图像与中国传统文化中的“伏羲女娲”无关。     

Dragons,saints and wells

Stories of conflict between saints and dragons flourished between the eighth and fourteenth centuries at the disputed boundary zone between folktale and hagiography. The presence of dragons at wells was an accepted image in vernacular culture, independently adopted by successive writers of saints' Lives to enliven stories about the spiritual power of their heroes and the pastoral and missionary work they performed. In the transition of hagiography from its Middle Eastern origins the dragon, originally a plausible desert snake, took on mythical status and became identified with social evils from paganism to corruption. Christian imagery of baptism involved a symbolic contrast of lethal and healing waters, given visual expression in the sculptural motif of a dragon encircling the font. But the story of the dragon-fight could carry multiple meanings. Earlier texts reflect a world in which clerical culture had to make headway against lay power, and the dragon is something to be banished, like the aggressive chieftains faced down by saints. Later on Christianity was presented as part of a harmonious social order, and the dragon is crushed by the pious force of chivalry.     

对清代八团彩云金龙纹吉服的再认识

在清代服饰研究及实物辨识过程中,人们一般根据《大清会典》和《皇朝礼器图式》等记载清代服饰典制的文献,把八团彩云金龙纹样认定为清代后妃吉服上的专用纹样,并进而以之作为区分清代皇帝和后妃服饰的重要标识。本文通过对故宫博物院收藏的大量清代服饰实物、清代宫廷绘画中的服饰图像以及清代文献中相关的记载等直接或间接的资料的考察和分析,认为这一认识存在片面性和不准确性。事实上,八团彩云金龙纹并非清代后妃服饰所专有的纹饰。清早期,皇帝也曾穿用过饰八团彩云金龙纹的吉服,这种男用八团彩云金龙纹吉服与女用八团彩云金龙纹吉服存在着明显相异的形制特征,并有其特有的始创、演变和消失的历史发展过程。