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White Lotus Society
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White Lotus Society
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White Lotus Society
CHINA; Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279); Ink and color on silk; 92 x 53.8 cm; Nanjing Museum, Jiangsu, China
The White Lotus Society was formed by Master Huiyuan, Liu Yimin, and over a hundred other companions at Donglin Temple on Lushan (Cottage Mountain) in Jiangxi in the year 402 during the Eastern Jin dynasty (317-420). The society emphasized being mindful of Amitabha Buddha as the most expedient means of self-cultivation for attaining rebirth in the Western Pure Land. This painting is thought to be a replica of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) artist Li Gonglin's artwork White Lotus Society. A similar picture is kept in the Shanghai Museum. Comparing the two, one finds that the individual scenes are depicted in essentially the same way, but the picture in the Shanghai Museum has a horizontal layout with the scenes moving from right to left, while in this picture they are arranged vertically from bottom to top.
Important figures and events in the history of the society are painted within a unified natural landscape. In the lower register, Tao Yuanming is shown on the right being carried due to a leg injury, and Xie Lingyun arrives on horseback accompanied by two attendants. Moving upwards, above the trees on the right, Master Huiyuan meets Lu Xiujing and the two chat cheerfully. On the other side of the river, Buddhayasa and Buddhabhadra sit facing each other on rocks, while above, Tanchang, Daobing and Zhouxu pay respect to a statue of a figure riding a lion. Moving to the left, Huiyong, Huichi, Huirui, Liu Yimin, and Zhang Quan sit around a stone table reading sutras, and Zhang Laimin washes his feet in a pool and observes a waterfall. In the upper register, stone steps lead up to a clearing where the monk Daosheng sits on a platform teaching the Dharma to Tanshen, Daojing, and Lei Cizong. On the right, Tanshun and Zongbing return from their exploration of the mountains.
The scenes are carefully arranged within the landscape, appearing to follow naturally from one another. The surrounding scenery is painted with fine brushstrokes; each tree appears unique. The seal of Gao Shiqi, a Qing dynasty (1644-1911) art collector, is stamped in the lower left corner. An article titled Story of the Lotus Society written by Li Yuanzhong of the Song dynasty (960-1279) and transcribed in small regular script by Wen Zhengming of the Qing dynasty is attached to the back of the painting. |
