Five Hundred Arhats attributed to Zhang Sigong; Yuan dynasty
Ink and color on paper
Zhang Sigong
CHINA; Yuan dynasty
Zhang Sigong was a Buddhist painter thought to be associated with the Pure Land school. His figurative images accurately portray human forms with brushwork modeled after the free and expressive style of Wu Daozi, featuring characteristics of Buddhist paintings from the Ningbo area during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). Garment fold patterns are carefully executed with a strong use of bright and warm colors that exude peacefulness.
His artwork, Amitabha Buddha Triad, is kept at Zenrinji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. Other works attributed to him include Five Hundred Arhats, a collection of 33 paintings listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, kept at Engakuji Temple in Kamakura; and Mercury Deity with a Monkey, kept at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in USA.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: People, page 340.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Pokorski, Stefanie and Yichao and Mankuang and Miaohsi,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: People },
pages = 340,
title = {{Zhang Sigong}},
volume = 19,
year = {2016}}