Li Lin

CHINA, Zhejiang, Ningbo; Ming dynasty

Li Lin was a painter from Siming (present day Ningbo, Zhejiang). He was also known as Cigong and often signed his works with the name Longmian Houshen. A disciple of Ding Yunpeng, and master of line drawing figures, he was skilled in depicting Buddhist and Daoist figures, and once painted a life-like portrait of Chan Master Daguan. Li’s use of charred ink to create bold outlines was a unique and intriguing stylistic feature of his works.
His paintings include Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, kept at the Shanghai Museum; Eighteen Arhats, kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan; and Master Daoqian, at the Palace Museum in Beijing.