Cai Tingyong

CHINA, Sichuan, Chengdu; Qing dynasty

Cai Tingyong was a sculptor from the family of Niren Cai. His father, Cai Sizun, specialized in clay figurines and started the family tradition. Cai inherited the family business, and sought to elevate the standard and quality of his pieces by searching for different types of clay which would result in less brittle sculptures that had more appropriate skin-toned colors. His specialty was in creating Buddha statues.
His son, Cai Qiwu, also specialized in clay figurines, creating characters from drama and traditional folk art. The clay works of the three generations of the Cai family in Sichuan were renowned and shared repute with Niren Zhang in Tianjin. They were referred to as Southern Cai, Northern Zhang in the field of clay art.