Famous Paintings of Guanyin from Different Dynasties

Author: Chen Wencheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-04-01
Features: Guanyin, also known as Guanshiyin or Guanyizai, is a Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhist scriptures describe her as immensely compassionate and merciful, capable of alleviating suffering and responding to all prayers, hence she is widely revered. This book compiles 144 hand-painted Guanyin portraits by masters from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, including iconic figures in Chinese painting history such as Wu Daozi, Jia Shiggu, Zhao Mengfu, Qiu Ying, and Xu Wei, reflecting the evolution of Guanyin imagery. The preface features an inscription by Master Yin Guang, while the postface includes dedications by Zhu Qinglan, Pan Shusheng, Ye Gongchuo, Miao Yonglou, and Jiang Qian.
Modern industrialist Zhang Jian, who remained childless until his forties, had his mother pray for a son at the Guanyin Rock in Langshan each year. Eventually, she was granted her wish. To repay Guanyin for delivering his child, Zhang Jian wrote scriptures, commissioned statues, and rebuilt the Guanyin Monastery. He also converted over 100 Guanyin portraits sent by Zhang Mohe of Taizhou into a three-story pavilion. Over a decade after Zhang Jian's death, faced with the devastation of Japan's invasion of China, the Buddhist scholar Fei Fanjiu secretly transported these sacred treasures to Shanghai. Using fine Xuan paper and chromolithography, he printed a thousand copies of this masterpiece, titled Baoxiang of Famous Paintings of Guanyin from Past Dynasties. The collection is divided into two volumes. It includes works from masters across dynasties, from the Tang's Wu Daozi and Yan Liben to the modern era's Wang Zhen and Mei Lanfang, among dozens of others.