Frontispiece of the Thousand Buddhas of the Past Kalpa Sutra

CHINA; Qing dynasty

This frontispiece was printed from a carved wooden block in 1651. There is no information on the artist, but the printer is identified as Bao Chengxun. The illustration is printed on a page with a double gate fold. It shows the Buddha teaching the Dharma while sitting on a cushion atop a rock. The Buddha is surrounded by disciples, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma protecting generals. The expressions and postures of the figures vary. One of the disciples kneels before the Buddha. Apart from the Dharma protectors, who are adorned with flaming nimbuses, the rest of the figures are shown with circular nimbuses. There are large pine trees and floating clouds in the foreground, and mountain ranges in the background. The positioning of the figures appears more natural than the symmetrical configurations usually seen in sutra illustrations. This work is considered to be one of the finest printed Buddhist sutra illustrations from Suzhou.