Chinese Treasures at the Getty Center
Cave 275, statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, Northern Liang, 420 – 439 CE. Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China. Photo: Wu Jian. (c) Dunhuang Academy “Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China’s Silk Road” is a Getty exhibition the likes of which you’ve never seen If you ever find yourself in northwestern China, wandering along the edge of the Gobi Desert on the old Silk Road (a formerly busy thoroughfare not unlike our Route 66), you may chance upon Dunhuang, originally a frontier outpost for the Chinese empire. By the late 4th century, Dunhuang (which translates to “blazing beacon”) was already a vibrant oasis settlement along the famous trade route that covered a 4,000 mile stretch and connected China with India, Persia, and central Asia, and indirectly with the Roman empire. It dates back before the time of Christ, so you know there’s a lot of history involved. Caravans that headed west were laden with silk and furs, as well as ceramics, jade, and spices. From the other direction, heading east, merchants sent linen, ivory, gems and gold (mostly, there were middlemen involved as few merchants traveled the entire distance). Needless to say, in addition to often inhospitable…
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