| Revision as of 02:24, 24 December 2014 editDannyFangles (talk | contribs)82 edits →Cultural significance: Fixed a typo and reworded.Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:59, 10 February 2015 edit undo204.10.63.130 (talk) ←Replaced content with '{{Other uses|Caisson (disambiguation)}} File:Ceiling of building in Imperial garden - Forbidden City.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A round caisson in the imperial...'Tag: blankingNext edit → | ||
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| {{Other uses|Caisson (disambiguation)}} | {{Other uses|Caisson (disambiguation)}} | ||
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| 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 ]n architecture 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 | 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 ]n architecture is an architectural feature typically found in the ceiling of ]s and [[pal | ||
| |date=April 2006 | |||
| |url=http://www.bjww.gov.cn/2006/4-12/10949-2.shtml | |||
| |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) | |||
| |publisher=Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage | |||
| |language=Chinese | |||
| |accessdate=2007-10-30 | |||
| |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070612213558/http://www.bjww.gov.cn/2006/4-12/10949-2.shtml <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-06-12}}</ref> | |||
| The caisson is generally a sunken panel set into the otherwise largely flat{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}} ceiling. It is often layered and richly decorated. Common shapes include square, octagon, hexagon, circle, and a combination of these.<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> | |||
| ==Name== | |||
| ], ]]] | |||
| The ''caisson'' is a general name for a ].<ref>Oxford English Dictionary, (1989) Oxford University Press, ''caisson''</ref> 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 | |||
| |date=August 2006 | |||
| |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) | |||
| |publisher=Construction Engineering Education Net | |||
| |language=Chinese | |||
| |accessdate=2007-10-30 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| ==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, 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, and richly carved and often painted with deities.<ref name=schoolnet>{{cite web | |||
| |year= | |||
| |month= | |||
| |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 ]". 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 | authorlink= |coauthors= |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. Therefore they are a relatively recent structure in the Chinese architectural history. However, they became increasingly intricate and formalised, and were in later periods a standard item of interior decoration in formal buildings.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} | |||
| ==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 | |||
| |year= | |||
| |month= | |||
| |url=http://www.chinainfoonline.com/ChineseArchitecture/Caisson_Ceiling.htm | |||
| |title=Caisson ceiling | |||
| |publisher=chinainfoonline.com | |||
| |accessdate=2007-09-13 | |||
| }}</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, 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. 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|date=March 2008}} | |||
| The Baoguo Monastery in ] in ] has three ''zaojing'' (or ]s) in the ceiling, making it unique among surviving examples of ].{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} Sanquing Hall (Hall of the Three Purities) is the only ] period structure with "three" zaojing in its ceiling. | |||
| {{Citation needed|date=January 2008}} A ''zaojing'' is a wooden dome over an imperial throne or statue in Chinese architecture.<ref name=ching2>{{cite book | |||
| | first=Francis D.K. | |||
| | last= Ching et al. | |||
| | year= 2007 | |||
| | title= A Global History of Architecture | |||
| | edition= | |||
| | publisher=John Wiley and Sons | |||
| | location=New York | |||
| | pages= 787 | |||
| | isbn= 978-0-471-26892-5}}</ref> | |||
| 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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}} | |||
| ==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 oramentation often conveyed cultural significance in the themes chosen and in display within the caissons. | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{wiktionary|caisson}} | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Caisson (Asian Architecture)}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 13:59, 10 February 2015
For other uses, see Caisson (disambiguation).
The Caisson (Chinese: 藻井; pinyin: zǎojǐng; lit. 'algae well'), also referred to as a caisson ceiling, or spider web ceiling, in East Asian architecture is an architectural feature typically found in the ceiling of temples and [[pal
- Cite error: The named reference
schoolnetwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).