道教圖像學為道教藝術研究的基礎，但是該用什麼樣的方法來探究龐雜多端的道教圖像，卻也是研究者首先得面對的問題。本文以明代玄天上帝圖像為例，企圖綜合版畫、科儀畫、壁畫鑄像等不同的媒材，探求各自的圖像表現，意義的傳達與媒材、機能之間的相互關連。換言之，除了靜態的圖像內涵還要考察其動態變化。相對於一般以壁畫為主的道教圖像學研究，本文則側重於宗教出版品圖像體系的建立，欲指出經典版畫對於道教圖像學研究具有方法上的重要性。此外，就宗教版畫而言，透過什麼樣的程序來傳播圖像這一問題具有特殊的重要性，本文以明代道藏版畫《玄帝瑞應圖》為例來說明上述研究取向的有效性。論證的開展雖然是以《玄帝瑞應圖》為主軸，但是主要的目標，還是在於建立玄天上帝圖像系統。本文可以說是企圖將道教圖像學研究系統化的初步嘗試。

Research on Taoist iconology is a central topic in the study of Taoist art, and the development of a methodology pertinent to its study remains a primary concern of scholars in the field. The variety and miscellaneous character of material related to Taoist art, in particular, highlights the need for systematic analysis. This paper is a case study of the iconology of Ming dynasty Hsüan-t'ien belief, and aims at a combined analysis of three different media , namely of religious prints, hanging scrolls from Taoist sanctuaries, and of religious sculptures. The author attempts at an analysis of representations of the image of Hsüan-t'ien shang-ti in these respective media, of their respective function and operation within the Taoist religion, and their mutual complementation and interaction. The author therefore does not limit his discussion of Taoist iconology to the static meaning of particular images, but also investigates the dynamic change in iconological meaning that occurs following the change in medium of propagation. In contrast with the general focus on wall -paintings in current studies on Taoist iconology, this paper wishes to concentrate on the iconological system that operates within religious publications such as woodblock prints. Where religious prints are concerned, the question of the propagation procedure of images is indeed of major importance. The author wishes equally to underline the methodological importance of the study of woodblock illustrations within research on Taoist iconology as a whole.

The author demonstrates the validity of the above-mentioned method of research, at the hand of a case study of the Hsüan-ti jui-ying t'u in woodblock prints of the Taoist canon. Although the discussion centers on the Hsüan-ti jui-ying t'u, it remains the author's main objective to establish an iconological system of representations of Hsüan-t'ien shang-ti.

道教圖像學; 玄天上帝; 道藏; 版畫; 明成祖

Taoist iconology; Hsüan-t'ien shang-ti; Taoist canon; woodblock prints; Ming Ch'eng-tsu