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The Caisson (Chinese: 藻井; pinyin: zǎojǐng; lit. 'algae well') in East Asian architecture is an archiectural 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 otherwise largely flat ceiling. It is often layered and richly decoracted. Common shapes include square, octagon, hexagon, circle, and a combination of these.

Name

The caisson is a general name for any sunken panel placed in the ceiling. In the case of East Asian architecture, however, the caisson is characterised by highly developed conventions as to its structure and placement. The name zaojing, is a combination of zǎo (aquatic plants) and jǐng (well).

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 dougong (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 dome, coffer or cupola.

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 Xuanyuan 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. However, they became increasingly intricate and formalised, and were in later periods a standard item of interior decoration in formal buildings.

Use in other structures

The caisson has been found in tombs of the Han Dynasty dating the use of this architectural feature back at least 2,000 years.

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. Because of the intricacy of its ornamentation, the caisson was reserved for the ceilings of the most important Chinese buildings such as imperial palaces and Buddhist temple altars.

The tomb of Empress Dowager Wenmind of the Northern Wei Dynasty has a caisson in the flat-topped, vaulted ceiling in the back chamber of her tomb. The Baoguo Monastery in Yuyao in Zhejiang has three zaojing in the ceiling, making it unique among surviving examples of Song architecture. Sanquing Hall (Hall of the Three Purities) is the only Yuan period structure with three zaojing in its ceiling. Zaojing are frequently found in Han Dynasty tombs.

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

Cultural significance

As well as being decorative, caissons are associated with the element of Water (being an "algae well" or zaojing), and thus is believed to help prevent fire, an important concern in the predominantly wooden buildings of classical Chinese architecture.

Notes

1. ^ "Caisson ceiling (Zaojing)". peopledaily.com. Retrieved 2007-09-03. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
2. ^ Steinhardt, Nancy W. (2002). Chinese Architecture (English Ed. ed.). Yale University Press. pp. p. 8. ISBN 0-300-09559-7. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help)
3. "Zaojing ceiling". taiwanschoolnet.org. Retrieved 2007-09-03. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
4. "Caisson ceiling". chinainfoonline.com. Retrieved 2007-09-13. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
5. Xinian, Fu (2002). Chinese Architecture -- The Three Kingdoms, Western and Eastern Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties (English Ed. ed.). Yale University Press. pp. p. 76. ISBN 0-300-09559-7. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help)
6. Daiheng, Gao (2002). Chinese Architecture -- The Lia, Song, Xi Xia, and Jin Dynasties (English Ed. ed.). Yale University Press. pp. pp 134–135. ISBN 0-300-09559-7. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help)

See also

• Chinese architecture
• Forbidden City

External links

• Baoguo Temple - Dougong and caisson structures
• A collection of caisson images at Fotoe.com

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