Ling Zhang

CHINA, Zhejiang, Hangzhou; Southern Song dynasty

Ling Zhang was a woodblock carver. His works, Frontispiece of the Lotus Sutra and Illustrations and Praise of Chan Master Foguo and the Guidance of Manjusri, are currently kept at Otani University in Kyoto, Japan. The two pieces show precise knifing skills, rigorous structure, and graceful but strong lines. With elegant characters and vivid figures, they are exemplary woodcut pieces from the Song dynasty (1127–1279).
Illustrations and Praise of Chan Master Foguo and the Guidance of Manjusri, published by the Sutra Bookstore of Zhong’an Bridge in Zhejiang, depicts the story of Sudhana learning the path to Bodhisattvahood. In total, 54 illustrations were carved by Ling for the publication. The layout of each page includes a detailed illustration on the top half and writing on the bottom. There is a colophon at the end of the book indicating the location of the Sutra Bookstore in which it was published.