Peng Mu-Chuan

TAIWAN, Hsinchu

Peng Mu-Chuan was a sculptor from Chutung, Hsinchu. At the age of 25, he apprenticed under Lin Fuqing, a prestigious artist from Fuzhou, Fujian and inherited the skills of sculpting with clay. He became regarded as the top clay sculptor in Taiwan, and was also known for his delicate painting skills. Sculptures by Peng include statues of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, all of which display Buddhist influence integrated with a feeling of liveliness and solemnity.
Under Master Miao Chan, Peng studied sculpture, painting, and calligraphy. Together, they sculpted the statues of the Three Buddhas in the Avalokitesvara Hall of Daxian Temple in Tainan. He participated in the renovation project of the Buddha statues in Quanhua Hall in Miaoli in 1962, and the next year he sculpted an Amitabha Buddha Triad, as well as the statues of Skanda and Sangharama Bodhisattvas, at Foguo Temple in New Taipei City.
Peng’s works appear mostly in temples throughout the central and northern regions of Taiwan, with a few located around Kaohsiung.