Family Space: Buddhist Materiality and Ancestral Fashioning in Mogao Cave 231

Mogao Caves, particularly Cave 231, exhibit a unique integration of family references into Buddhist art and architecture from the ninth century, representing a significant shift in medieval Chinese religious space. This study reveals that cave temples served as hybrid spaces where ancestral commemoration and Buddhist devotion intersected through figural representations, epigraphic inscriptions, and decorative elements like domestic furniture. By analyzing these visual and textual cues, researchers demonstrate how Mogao Caves functioned as a multifacetional environment, blending the sacred with familial memory while bridging the boundaries between image, object, and architecture.

Kyan, W. (2010). Family Space: Buddhist Materiality and Ancestral Fashioning in Mogao Cave 231. The Art Bulletin, 92(1-2), 61–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/00043079.2010.10786140