23 - JAPAN—19th century

JAPAN—19th century Buddhist painting on silk depicting the Chinese patriarch of the Pure Land, Zendô Daishi 善導大師, better known in China as Shandao 善導 (613–681). He is depicted standing as a Buddhist monk, his hands clasped in prayer and his head surrounded by a large circular halo. Each of his feet rests on a lotus flower, and from his mouth emerges a swirling cloud bearing three small gilded Buddhist figures. Zendō Daishi was one of the earliest and most influential masters of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism and gained particular significance within the Japanese Pure Land traditions. His writings and teachings had a major influence on later Japanese Buddhist schools, notably the Jōdo-shū 浄土宗 and the Jōdo Shinshū 浄土真宗. Painted in ink and color on silk. Dimensions: Frame: height 54 cm; width 22 cm. Painting: height 24 cm; width 11 cm (Signs of wear, discoloration, small missing areas...)