Material culture and emperorship: The shaping of imperial roles at the Court of Xuanzong (r. 1426-1435).
详细信息
- 作者：Wang ; Cheng-hua.
- 学历：Doctor
- 年：1998
- 导师：Barnhart,Richard M.,eadvisor
- 毕业院校：Yale University
- ISBN：9780599294523
- CBH：9929761
- Country：USA
- 语种：English
- FileSize：29841468
- Pages：513
文摘
This thesis examines the multi-dimensional relationships between various kinds of material culture and the court of Xuanzong r. 1426--35). The primary themes are how Xuanzong played imperial roles through the use of emblematic objects and how Xuanzongs style of role-playing embodied the concept of emperorship current during his time. Each of the five chapters deals with one aspect of the concept of emperorship and imperial role-playing,and their representations in material culture. Chapter one discusses the ways in which Chengzu,Xuanzongs prominent predecessor,and Xuanzong used material culture to legitimate Chengzus reign. Specifically,I focus on a Buddhist temple,a sacred mountain,the capital city,and the imperial necropolis. While chapter one explores one aspect of ancestor worship---the issue of legitimacy is partly the issue of deciding who would be included in the imperial lineage and worshiped by later emperors---chapters two and three approach the issue of ancestor worship from the angles of ritual performance and context. Chapter two investigates four sacrificial sites in which Xuanzong worshiped his ancestors,especially the Hall of Ancestor Worship Fengxiandian) where early Ming imperial portraits were held. Chapter three looks at imperial portraits that were employed as objects of worship. In these chapters I attempt to show how these two kinds of material culture reveal a new concept of emperorship that emerged in the early Ming. Chapter four tackles the issue of the imperial image projected in paintings other than imperial official portraiture. It focuses on the painting category Xuanzongs Pleasures Xuanzong xingletu) which portrays Xuanzong engaged in various activities. Chapter five studies how Xuanzong established his historical image by various media,such as painting,calligraphy,porcelain,and enamel,which were in turn used to assess Xuanzongs legacy. The last two chapters reconstruct Xuanzongs special style of imperial role-playing and the new model that he set up in the tradition of Chinese emperorship.