Hanshan and Shide

CHINA; Qing dynasty

Luo Pin, the painter of this picture, was the youngest yet most renowned member of the group of innovative artists known as the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. According to Chronicle of the Buddha and Patriarchs and Transmission of the Lamp, Hanshan was a hermit who lived on Tiantaishan during the Tang dynasty (618–907). His conduct was unrestrained and spontaneous, and he enjoyed reciting poetry and singing Buddhist verses. Shide, a friend of Hanshan, lived in Guoqing Temple on Tiantaishan. Taizhou’s provinicial governor Lu Qiuyin once asked Fenggan if anyone outstanding and worthy lived at Guoqing Temple, to which Fenggan responded, “Hanshan, who is Manjusri, and Shide, who is Samantabhadra.” The two are often depicted in Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasty Chan paintings. Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing dynasty referred them as the Sages of Harmony and Unity.
In this illustration, both Hanshan and Shide have thick, bushy hair. They chat and joke with each other, appearing happy and untroubled. The simplicity and fluidity of the lines is typical of Song and Yuan dynasty Chan paintings, with the saturation of the ink strategically controlled. The poem above the picture, entitled “Two Sages Subduing Confusion,” was written by Luo Pin. This painting was later carved into a piece of rock which remains at Hanshan Temple in Suzhou today. Rubbed copies of the carving are still widely circulated.