Snapshots: Image and Text in Chinese Buddhist Art

Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Claudia Wenzel:
Based on the analogy of “snapshots” used in philological studies to explain how the history and development of Buddhist scriptures can be traced across several languages and contexts, Claudia Wenzel first discusses some well-known specimen of Diamond Sutra texts in Chinese Buddhist art, written on paper as well as carved in stone. Over the last years, the discovery of and research on Buddhist stone carved sutra texts gave rise to new considerations about text and image in Chinese Buddhism, as patrons and donors seem to have intentionally chosen one over the other in many cases. The philological “snapshot” analogy that applies to all Buddhist texts independent of their material form can also be useful in art historical studies when iconographic image traditions are revealed.