Yao Wenhan

CHINA, Beijing; Qing dynasty

Yao Wenhan was a painter with an alias of Zhuoting. During the rule of Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1736–1795) of the Qing dynasty, he served in the imperial court. He was adept in painting Buddhist and Daoist figures, and his Buddhist images were well structured with delicate compositions.
His Buddhist paintings, Sakyamuni Buddha, Eighteen Arhats, and Four Heavenly Kings, comprising a total of 23 pieces, were recorded in Records of Calligraphy and Paintings Collected in the Qing Imperial Palace. Yao’s other paintings of Arhats was in imitation of Tibetan style. The National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan retains several of his paintings including Dharmatala, Amitayus Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Avatamsaka Triad in a Sea of Fragrant Flowers, Bodhidharma, Copy of Vimalakirti by a Song Painter, and Joy at the New Year. Summer Lotus Garden is kept at the Jilin Provincial Museum in Changchun.