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{{Short description|Architectural feature}}
{{Merge|Coffer|date=October 2007}} {{citations needed}}
{{Other uses|Caisson (disambiguation)}}
{{otheruses|caisson}}
]]] ]]]
The '''Caisson''' ({{zh-cpl|c=藻井|p=zǎojǐng|l=algae well}}), also referred to as a '''caisson ceiling''', or '''''zaojing''''', in ]n architecture is an archiectural feature typically found in the ceiling of ]s and ]s, usually at the centre and directly above the main throne, seat, or religious figure.<ref name="BMACH">{{cite web The '''caisson''' ({{zh|c=藻井|p=zǎojǐng|l=algae well}}), also referred to as a '''caisson ceiling''', or '''''spider web ceiling''''',<ref name=schoolnet/> in ] is an architectural feature typically found in the ceiling of ]s and ]s, usually at the centre and directly above the main throne, seat, or religious figure.<ref name=schoolnet/><ref name="BMACH">{{cite web
|year=2006 |date=April 2006
|url=http://www.bjww.gov.cn/2006/4-12/10949-2.shtml
|month=4
|title=浅谈法海寺曼陀罗的深刻内涵 (Deep meaning of the Mandala in the Fahai Temple in Brief)
|url=http://www.bjww.gov.cn/2006/4-12/10949-2.shtml
|publisher=Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage
|title=浅谈法海寺曼陀罗的深刻内涵 (Deep meaning of the Mandala in the Fahai Temple in Brief)
|language=zh
|publisher=Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage
|accessdate=2007-10-30
|language=Chinese
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612213558/http://www.bjww.gov.cn/2006/4-12/10949-2.shtml
|accessdate=2007-10-30
|archive-date=2007-06-12
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> }}</ref>
The caisson is generally a sunken panel set into the otherwise largely flat{{fact}} ceiling. It is often layered and richly decoracted. Common shapes include square, octagon, hexagon, circle, and a combination of these. <ref name="people">{{cite web The caisson is generally a sunken panel set into the ceiling. It is often layered and richly decorated. Common shapes include squares, octagons, hexagons, circles, and a combination of these.<ref name="people">{{cite web
|year=
|month=
|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/features/architecture/zaojing.htm |url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/features/architecture/zaojing.htm
|title=Caisson ceiling (Zaojing) |title=Caisson ceiling (Zaojing)
Line 19: Line 19:
|accessdate=2007-09-03 |accessdate=2007-09-03
}}</ref> }}</ref>
==History==
Caisson (alternatively called caissons, or lacunaria) were first formed by crossing wood ceiling beams of a ceiling. The earliest surviving examples are stone coffering built by the ancient Greeks and Romans as the ] in ], in which the stone-coffered ceiling still shows signs of decorative painting. Interest in the caisson was revived in the Renaissance period and became common in Baroque and Neoclassical styles of architecture, both religious and secular.<ref name="britannica">{{cite web
|year=
|month=
|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9024646/coffer
|title=coffer
|publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica Online
|accessdate=2007-10-30
}}</ref>


==Name== ==Name==
] caisson at Jingtu Temple of ].]]
], ]]]
], ]]]
The '']'' is a general name for an enclosure or chamber used in engineering, often used by a body of water or to give access to underwater areas for engineering works.<ref>{{cite web
], ].]]
|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-caisson.html
The ''caisson'' is a general name for a ].<ref>Oxford English Dictionary, (1989) Oxford University Press, ''caisson''</ref> In the case of ], however, the caisson is characterised by highly developed conventions as to its structure and placement.<ref name="BMACH"/><ref>{{cite web
|title=caisson
|date=August 2006
|publisher= From: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2007
|accessdate=2007-10-29
}}
</ref> See: ] in the wikipedia dictionary. It is occasionally used to refer to any sunken object in water. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines "caisson" as:<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/caisson
|title=Caisson
|publisher=Merriam-Webster
|accessdate=2007-10-29
}}
</ref>
{{quotation|a chest to hold ammunition
*b: a usually 2-wheeled vehicle for artillery ammunition attachable to a horse-drawn limber;
*also : a limber with its attached caisson2
**a: a watertight chamber used in construction work under water or as a foundation
**b: a hollow floating box or a boat used as a floodgate for a dock or basin}}

A less common use is as a panel placed in the ceiling.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary, (1989) Oxford University Press, ''caisson''</ref> This feature is more commonly known as the ].<ref name="britannica"/> For other meanings, see ]. In the case of ]n architecture, however, the caisson is characterised by highly developed conventions as to its structure and placement.<ref name="BMACH"/>
<ref>{{cite web
|year=2006
|month=8
|url=http://www.jianshe99.com/html/2006/8/li82951229583860025214.html |url=http://www.jianshe99.com/html/2006/8/li82951229583860025214.html
|title=礼制对中国古建筑的影响 (Influence of Rites on Ancient Chinese Architecture) |title=礼制对中国古建筑的影响 (Influence of Rites on Ancient Chinese Architecture)
|publisher=Construction Engineering Education Net |publisher=Construction Engineering Education Net
|language=Chinese |language=zh
|accessdate=2007-10-30 |accessdate=2007-10-30
}}</ref> }}</ref>
It is known in ] as ''zaojing'', a name which is a combination of ''zǎo'' (]s) and ''jǐng'' (]).<ref name="people"/> However, this use is not the same architectural feature as otherwise described in this article, as this use of ''zaojing'' has nothing to do with religion or religious figures.<ref name="nancy">{{cite book
| first=Nancy W.
| last= Steinhardt
| year= 2002
| title=Chinese Architecture
| edition= English Ed.
| publisher=Yale University Press
| location=
| pages= p. 8
| id= ISBN 0-300-09559-7 }}</ref>


==Structure== ==Structure==
The caisson is a sunken panel placed in the centre of the ceiling. It is raised above the level of the ceiling through the use the '']'' (斗栱) structure, which, through interlocking structural members, creates successive levels of diminishing size. Beams may also be used to create a hexagonal or octagonal caisson surrounded by a square border. These beams, and the ''dougong'' members, are usually visible, and richly carved and often painted. The ''zaojing'' resembles an intricately carved or painted ], ] or ].{{citation needed}} The caisson is a sunken panel placed in the centre of the ceiling. It is raised above the level of the ceiling through the use of the '']'' (斗栱) structure, which, through interlocking structural members, as beams were not used, creates successive levels of diminishing size. Beams may also be used to create a hexagonal or octagonal caisson surrounded by a square border. These beams, and the ''dougong'' members, are usually visible, richly carved and often painted with deities.<ref name=schoolnet>{{cite web
|url=http://library.taiwanschoolnet.org/cyberfair2001/C0116100083/en_artzau.htm
|title= Zaojing ceiling
|publisher=taiwanschoolnet.org
|accessdate=2007-09-03
}}</ref>


The centre of the caisson is decorated with a large '']'' carving or painting. Common themes include "two ]s chasing the pearl. Caissons in the throne rooms of the ] feature a large, writhing dragon, from whose mouth issue a chandelier-like structure called the ] Mirror, a series of metal balls which are said to be able to show reflections of evil spirits.<ref>{{cite book |last=Yu |first= Zhuoyun | authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Palaces of the Forbidden City |year=1984|publisher=Viking |location=New York |id=ISBN 0-670-53721-7 }}, pp 253ff</ref> This does not refer to ''zaojing'' as the beliefs of the creators of the early ''zaojing'' craftsmen, from whence the name originated, were not known.<ref name="nancy"/> The centre of the caisson is decorated with a large '']'' carving or painting. Common themes include "two ]s chasing the ]". Caissons in the ] rooms of the ] feature a large, writhing ], from whose mouth issue a chandelier-like structure called the ] Mirror, a series of metal balls which are said to be able to show reflections of evil spirits.<ref>{{cite book |last=Yu |first= Zhuoyun |title=Palaces of the Forbidden City |year=1984|publisher=Viking |location=New York |isbn=0-670-53721-7 }}, pp 253ff</ref>


Caissons were originally used to support ]s.{{dubious}} However, they became increasingly intricate and formalised, and were in later periods a standard item of interior decoration in formal buildings.{{vague}} Caissons were originally used to support ]s. Therefore, they are a relatively recent structure in Chinese architectural history.

] in ]. this example combines features of the square, octagonal, and round caissons.]]


==Use in other structures== ==Use in other structures==
].]]
The caisson has been found in tombs of the ] dating the use of this architectural feature back at least 2,000 years.<ref>{{cite web
The caisson has been found in tombs of the ] dating the use of this architectural feature back at least 2,000 years.<ref>{{cite web
|year=
|url = http://www.chinainfoonline.com/ChineseArchitecture/Caisson_Ceiling.htm
|month=
|title = Caisson ceiling
|url=http://www.chinainfoonline.com/ChineseArchitecture/Caisson_Ceiling.htm
|publisher = chinainfoonline.com
|title=Caisson ceiling
|accessdate = 2007-09-13
|publisher=chinainfoonline.com
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080724170830/http://www.chinainfoonline.com/ChineseArchitecture/Caisson_Ceiling.htm#
|accessdate=2007-09-13
|archive-date = 2008-07-24
}}</ref>
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> Besides subterranean structure, the oldest existent caisson in an above-ground structure is the one located above the {{convert|16|m|ft|adj=mid|-tall}} statue of ] in the Guanyin Pavilion of Dule Monastery, Jixian, ] province, built in 984 during the ].<ref name="steinhardt 1994 11">Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. "Liao: An Architectural Tradition in the Making," ''Artibus Asiae'' (Volume 54, Number 1/2, 1994): 5–39. Page 11.</ref> Without the use of interior columns, this ceiling is held up by a hidden second-floor four-sided frame with a hexagonal ceiling frame on the third floor.<ref name="steinhardt 1994 11"/>


In traditional Chinese architecture, around 2000 B.C., the Chinese began the practice of ornamenting every aspect of a dwelling. Homes were decorated using various materials available and techniques. Simple ceilings in simple dwellings were made of wooden strips and covered with paper. More decorative was the ] ceiling, constructed of woven wooden strips or ] stems fastened to the beams of larger homes.<ref name="nancy"/> In traditional ], every facet of a building was decorated using various materials and techniques. Simple ceiling ornamentations in ordinary buildings were made of wooden strips and covered with paper. More decorative was the ] ceiling, constructed of woven wooden strips or ] stems fastened to the beams. The most decorative and the most complex ceiling was the caisson.


Sanqing Hall (Hall of the Three Purities) is a ] period structure with "three" zaojing in its ceiling. A ''zaojing'' is a wooden dome over an imperial throne or statue in Chinese architecture.<ref name=ching2>{{cite book
The most decorative and the most complex ceiling was the caisson. Because of the intricacy of its ornamentation, the caisson was reserved for the ceilings of the most important Chinese buildings such as ] and ] temple altars.{{citation needed}}
| first= Francis D.K.

| last= Ching
The tomb of Empress Dowager Wenmind of the ] has a ], which (stretching the term could be called a caisson for the purposes of this article) in the flat- topped antechamber leading to the passageway to her tomb which was under a huge mound.<ref name="fu">{{cite book
| first=Fu | year= 2007
| title= A Global History of Architecture
| last= Xinian
| publisher= John Wiley and Sons
| year= 2002
| location= New York
| title=Chinese Architecture -- The Three Kingdoms, Western and Eastern Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties
| pages=
| edition= English Ed.
| isbn= 978-0-471-26892-5
| publisher=Yale University Press
| display-authors= etal
| location=
| url= https://archive.org/details/globalhistoryofa0000chin/page/787
| pages= p. 76
}}</ref>
| isbn= 0-300-09559-7 }}</ref> The Baoguo Monastery in ] in ] has three ''zaojing'' in the ceiling, making it unique among surviving examples of ]. Sanquing Hall (Hall of the Three Purities) is the only ] period structure with three zaojing in its ceiling.
<ref name="gao">{{cite book
| first=Gao
| last= Daiheng
| year= 2002
| title=Chinese Architecture -- The Liao, Song, Xi Xia, and Jin Dynasties
| edition= English Ed.
| publisher=Yale University Press
| location=
| pages= pp 134&ndash;135
| isbn= 0-300-09559-7 }}</ref> ''Zaojing'' are frequently found in ] tombs.<ref name="people"/>


As the caisson became increasingly standard in formal architecture in ancient China, similar structures also appeared in ] grottos, such as in ]. These sunken panels in the ceiling of grottos would be carved to imitate the ''dougong''-based structure in wooden buildings. As the caisson became increasingly standard in formal architecture in ancient China, similar structures also appeared in ] grottos, such as in ].


==Cultural significance== ==Cultural significance==
Caissons were highly decorative and only included in important or highly decorated buildings. They had no specific cultural significance, since in structure they were equal to ]s and ]s constructed around the world. However the rich ornamentation often conveyed cultural significance in the themes chosen and in display within the caissons.
As well as being decorative, caissons are associated with the element of ] (being an "algae ]" or '']''), and thus is believed to help prevent fire, an important concern in the predominantly wooden buildings of classical ].<ref name="people">{{cite web
|year=
|month=
|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/features/architecture/zaojing.htm
|title=Caisson ceiling (Zaojing)
|publisher=peopledaily.com
|accessdate=2007-09-03
}}</ref>

==Notes==
<references/>


==See also== ==See also==
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ]


==External links== ==Notes==
{{reflist}}
*
<!-- * -->


==External links==
{{China-stub}}
{{wiktionary|caisson}}
{{architecture-stub}}
*
*


{{DEFAULTSORT:Caisson (Asian Architecture)}}
]
]
] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 13:57, 17 June 2024

Architectural feature For other uses, see Caisson (disambiguation).
A round caisson in the imperial garden at the Forbidden City

The caisson (Chinese: 藻井; pinyin: zǎojǐng; lit. 'algae well'), also referred to as a caisson ceiling, or spider web ceiling, in Chinese architecture is an architectural feature typically found in the ceiling of temples and palaces, usually at the centre and directly above the main throne, seat, or religious figure. The caisson is generally a sunken panel set into the ceiling. It is often layered and richly decorated. Common shapes include squares, octagons, hexagons, circles, and a combination of these.

Name

Jin dynasty caisson at Jingtu Temple of Shanxi.
A modern caisson in traditional style, in the Grand Hotel, Taipei
Caisson of the Worship Shrine, Qing-An-Gong, Shanhua District, Tainan City, Taiwan.

The caisson is a general name for a coffer. In the case of Chinese architecture, however, the caisson is characterised by highly developed conventions as to its structure and placement.

Structure

The caisson is a sunken panel placed in the centre of the ceiling. It is raised above the level of the ceiling through the use of the dougong (斗栱) structure, which, through interlocking structural members, as beams were not used, creates successive levels of diminishing size. Beams may also be used to create a hexagonal or octagonal caisson surrounded by a square border. These beams, and the dougong members, are usually visible, richly carved and often painted with deities.

The centre of the caisson is decorated with a large bas-relief carving or painting. Common themes include "two dragons chasing the pearl". Caissons in the throne rooms of the Forbidden City feature a large, writhing dragon, from whose mouth issue a chandelier-like structure called the Yellow Emperor Mirror, a series of metal balls which are said to be able to show reflections of evil spirits.

Caissons were originally used to support skylights. Therefore, they are a relatively recent structure in Chinese architectural history.

Use in other structures

The caisson of the Five Dragons Pavilion at the Beihai Park.

The caisson has been found in tombs of the Han dynasty dating the use of this architectural feature back at least 2,000 years. Besides subterranean structure, the oldest existent caisson in an above-ground structure is the one located above the 16-metre-tall (52 ft) statue of Guanyin in the Guanyin Pavilion of Dule Monastery, Jixian, Hebei province, built in 984 during the Liao dynasty. Without the use of interior columns, this ceiling is held up by a hidden second-floor four-sided frame with a hexagonal ceiling frame on the third floor.

In traditional Chinese architecture, every facet of a building was decorated using various materials and techniques. Simple ceiling ornamentations in ordinary buildings were made of wooden strips and covered with paper. More decorative was the lattice ceiling, constructed of woven wooden strips or sorghum stems fastened to the beams. The most decorative and the most complex ceiling was the caisson.

Sanqing Hall (Hall of the Three Purities) is a Yuan period structure with "three" zaojing in its ceiling. A zaojing is a wooden dome over an imperial throne or statue in Chinese architecture.

As the caisson became increasingly standard in formal architecture in ancient China, similar structures also appeared in Buddhist grottos, such as in Dunhuang.

Cultural significance

Caissons were highly decorative and only included in important or highly decorated buildings. They had no specific cultural significance, since in structure they were equal to cupolas and domes constructed around the world. However the rich ornamentation often conveyed cultural significance in the themes chosen and in display within the caissons.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Zaojing ceiling". taiwanschoolnet.org. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  2. ^ "浅谈法海寺曼陀罗的深刻内涵 (Deep meaning of the Mandala in the Fahai Temple in Brief)" (in Chinese). Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage. April 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  3. "Caisson ceiling (Zaojing)". peopledaily.com. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  4. Oxford English Dictionary, (1989) Oxford University Press, caisson
  5. "礼制对中国古建筑的影响 (Influence of Rites on Ancient Chinese Architecture)" (in Chinese). Construction Engineering Education Net. August 2006. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  6. Yu, Zhuoyun (1984). Palaces of the Forbidden City. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-53721-7., pp 253ff
  7. "Caisson ceiling". chinainfoonline.com. Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
  8. ^ Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. "Liao: An Architectural Tradition in the Making," Artibus Asiae (Volume 54, Number 1/2, 1994): 5–39. Page 11.
  9. Ching, Francis D.K.; et al. (2007). A Global History of Architecture. New York: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 787. ISBN 978-0-471-26892-5.

External links

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