Zhang Nanben

CHINA, Sichuan, Chengdu; Tang dynasty

Zhang Nanben was a painter renowned for his depictions of Buddhist and Daoist figures, human figures, and flames. He was reputed alongside his contemporary, Sun Wei.
Zhang once painted frescos of Eight Wisdom Kings and Pratyekabuddha at Jinhua Temple in Sichuan; both scenes were surrounded by a portrayal of intense scorching flames. His mural works in Water and Land Hall of Baoli Temple was well-acclaimed as mentioned in Records of Famous Paintings in Yizhou. The excerpt pertaining to this fresco reads, “Nanben’s paintings are of heavenly and earthly spirits, royals and officials, deities in nature, and emperors of ancient times, for a total of over 120 paintings at various temples in the Shu regions (present day Sichuan). The paintings are truly amazing with complex compositions of intermixed spirits.” Unfortunately, the original mural at Baoli Temple was stolen and later replaced by an imitation.
Zhang’s extant mural paintings include Pindola Arhat, on the entrance doors of Shengshou Temple in Henan; Assembly at Vulture Peak, on the eastern corridor of the same temple; Illustration of Great Compassion, depicted on the east side of Avatamsaka Pavilion of Daci Temple in Sichuan; and the image of Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, at Zhuxi Temple in Tainan, Taiwan. The Xuanhe Catalog of Paintings also lists three of his paintings.