Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China's Silk Road

 May 7–September 4, 2016, GETTY CENTER

On the western edge of the Gobi Desert, near the ancient oasis town of Dunhuang, China, hundreds of cave temples were carved into a cliff face and decorated with Buddhist wall paintings and sculptures. The caves are known as the Mogao (peerless) Grottoes. From the 4th to the 14th century, Dunhuang bore witness to intense religious, commercial, and cultural exchange along the trade routes linking the East and West, known collectively as the Silk Road. The documents and artifacts discovered in the site’s famed Library Cave, along with the paintings and sculptures found in almost 500 other caves, focus primarily on Buddhism. They also tell tales of the merchants, monks, and ruling families who lived, worked, and worshipped in the Dunhuang region.

Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China’s Silk Road explores the significance of the Mogao Grottoes and highlights the more than 25 years of collaboration between the Getty Conservation Institute and the Dunhuang Academy to protect and conserve this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Creating Replicas of Buddhist Cave Temples at the Mogao Grottoes 

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Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Art, History, and Conservation 

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Conserving Wall Paintings in Cave 85 at the Mogao Cave Temples 

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Preserving the Mogao Cave Temples Site 

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Creating the Immersive Experience of Cave 45 (Cave Temples of Dunhuang) 

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Salt Damage in Wall Paintings at the Mogao Cave Temples 

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Organic Colorant Fading in Wall Paintings at Mogao Cave Temples 

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Color Changes in Wall Paintings at the Mogao Cave Temples 

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Pigment Preparation for Wall Paintings at the Mogao Cave Temples 

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Plaster Detachment in Wall Paintings at the Mogao Cave Temples 

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Causes of Flaking Paint in Wall Paintings at Moago Cave Temples 

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Dunhuang as Nexus of the Silk Road during the Middle Ages 

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Cave Temples of Dunhuang: History, Art, and Materiality (Video 1 of 7) 

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Cave Temples of Dunhuang: History, Art, and Materiality (Video 2 of 7) 

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Cave Temples of Dunhuang: History, Art, and Materiality (Video 3 of 7) 

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Cave Temples of Dunhuang: History, Art, and Materiality (Video 4 of 7) 

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Cave Temples of Dunhuang: History, Art, and Materiality (Video 5 of 7) 

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Cave Temples of Dunhuang: History, Art, and Materiality (Video 6 of 7) 

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Cave Temples of Dunhuang: History, Art, and Materiality (Video 7 of 7) 

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Exhibition "Cave Temples of Dunhuang" 

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The Diamond Sutra: Printing, Piety & Preservation on the Silk Road 

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Cornelia Funke's Voyage into the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas 

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Heaven and Hell on the Silk Road 

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Care of Time & Dimensions of Conservation at Mogao Grottoes 

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Mogao Grottoes and Surrounding Landscape Panorama 

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