Ding Yuangong

CHINA, Zhejiang, Jiaxing; Ming to Qing dynasty

Ding Yuangong was a monk, painter, seal engraver, and calligrapher. He was educated with Confucian teachings at a young age and later became a county official. A devout Buddhist, he was determined to learn Chan and often visited many senior monks with good virtues. He later renounced under Master Mailiang Minghuai at Mingyin Temple in Nanjing, taking the Dharma name Jingyi and later residing at Liutong Temple in Jiangsu. He was skilled in painting landscapes and Buddhist images.
His calligraphic work, Five-Character Poem, is kept at Ho’s Calligraphy Foundation in Taipei, Taiwan. His painting of Arhats is part of the collection at Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, while Guan Yu is kept at the Beijing Art Museum.