Ding Guanpeng

CHINA, Beijing; Qing dynasty

Ding Guanpeng was a painter from Shuntian (present day Beijing). He was elected as a royal painter during the rule of Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1736–1795) of the Qing dynasty, and served for approximately 50 years. He was held at the same level of distinction as artists such as Giuseppe Castiglione, Tang Dai, and Jin Tingbiao.
In addition to landscape painting, Ding was skilled in painting Buddhist and Daoist figures. He was once ordered to create his version of the Long Scroll of Buddhist Images painted by Zhang Shengwen of the Dali Kingdom (937–1253), resulting in vivid images that greatly resembled the originals. The artwork was divided into two sections: King Paying Respect to the Buddha, and Origin of the Dharma Realm, now kept in Jilin Provincial Museum, Changchun.
Other paintings by Ding include Amitabha Buddha and a Devotee, and Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara, which are currently kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing. His other works, Western Pure Land and Peaceful Spring Market are collected by the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan.