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Sep 17, 2007

Jul 19, 2007

Barbarian Royalty Worshiping the Buddha

蠻王禮佛圖

900s

attributed to Zhao Guangfu 趙光輔

(Chinese, c. 923–976)

China, Northern Song dynasty

(960-1127)

Handscroll; ink and color on silk

Painting section: 28.6 x 103.5 cm (11 1/4 x 40 3/4 in.); Overall with colophon: 28.6 x 667.7 cm (11 1/4 x 262 7/8 in.)

Gift of Severance and Greta Millikin 1957.358

Location

240A Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy

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Sixteen "barbarians" pay homage to the Buddha, who is seated on a lotus throne with two disciples and two guardians.

Description

This painting begins on the right with 15 people following a dignified figure wearing headgear with twin pheasant feathers. He extends an incense burner toward the Buddha, who is seated on his lotus throne and flanked by two haloed disciples and two Heavenly Kings. The worshipers’ diverse physical features, regional finery, and religious affiliations suggest the universal appeal of Buddhism.

The imagery was inspired by the foreign envoys who frequently came to the Chinese court to give tribute to the emperor. At the time, all outsiders were considered “barbarians,” so their presence was seen as acknowledgment of China’s political and cultural power.

Inscriptions

Inscription

佛法入中國千餘年。殆是家有其像。見之者悉起敬心，不當以古今畫手分別也。子昂 [印]趙氏子昂

Inscription Translation

Colophon (postscript) by Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322): Buddhism has been in China for thousands of years. Consequently, the Buddha’s image can be seen in every household. Those who saw such images would have naturally shown a respectful attitude. Whether it was done by a past master or a modern version is immaterial. [Signature] Zi'ang [seal] Zhao Shi Zi'ang

Inscription

Colophon by Guo Bi (1280–1335): A transcription of "Zheng fa yan zang ming bing xu" 正法眼藏銘幷序 by Wuwei Jushi 無為居士. Signature: Situi Jushi Guo Bi 思退居士郭畀. 2 seals.

Inscription Remark

Guo Bi dedicated his writing to Daoist Wukeliao 無可了道人, who was likely the owner of the scroll at the time that Guo transcribed this text. Wukeliao's exact identity is difficult to establish.

Inscription

Spurious artist's signature: Zhao Guangfu

Inscription

1 seal of the Li family (Yuan Dynasty)

Inscription

14 seals of Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736–95)

Inscription

1 seal of Jiaqing Emperor (r. 1796–1820)

Inscription

1 seal of Xuantong Emperor (r. 1909–11)

Inscription

1 official seal of the Yuan dynasty, “Tian li zhi bao 天曆之寶” (Treasure of Tianli).

Inscription Remark

Tianli is the reign of Yuan Emperor Wenzong (r. 1329–32).

Provenance

1300s

Daoist Wukeliao 無可了道人 [1300s]

c. 1328–30

Yuan imperial collection (seal of Emperor Wenzong, Tianli era [1328–30]), Beijing, China

c. 1736–1911

Qing imperial collection (seals of Emperors Qianlong [r. 1736–1795], Jiaqing [r. 1796–1820], and Xuantong [r. 1909–1911]), Beijing, China

?–1957

(Walter Hochstadter [1914–2007], New York, NY, sold to Mr. and Mrs. Severance A. Millikin)

1957

Severance A. [1895–1985] and Greta [Marguerite Steckerl] Millikin [1903–1989], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art

1957–

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 852 archive.org

Goepper, Roger. 1000 Jahre chinesische Malerei. München: Haus der Kunst, 1959. cat. no. 8

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 258 archive.org

National Gallery of Canada, and Expo (International Exhibitions Bureau). Terre Des Hommes: Exposition Internationale Des Beaux-Arts, 28 Avril-27 Octobre 1967 [= Man and His World, International Fine Arts Exhibition, Expo 67, Montreal, Canada, 28 April-27 October 1967]. Montréal: Expo 67, 1967. cat. no. 168

Lee, Sherman E., and Wai-kam Ho. Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yüan Dynasty, 1279-1368. [Cleveland]: The Cleveland Museum of Art; [distributed by the Press of Case Western Reserve University], 1968. cat. no. 275

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 258 archive.org

Zeng Ecke, Youhe. Chinese Calligraphy. [Philadelphia]: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1971. cat. no. 36

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 340 archive.org

Ho, Wai-kam, Sherman E. Lee, Laurence Sickman, and Marc F. Wilson. Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting: The Collections of the Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1980. Reproduced: cat. no. 46, p. 60

Chou, Ju-hsi and Anita Chung. Silent poetry: Chinese paintings from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2015. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 29–33

Exhibition history

Chinese Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 19-August 7, 1960).

1000 Jahre Chinesische Malerei. Haus der Kunst, Munich, Mùnich, Germany (organizer) (October 16-December 13, 1959).

Man and His World. Expo 67, Montreal, Canada (organizer) (April 27-October 28, 1967).

Chinese Calligraphy. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA (organizer) (September 25-November 7, 1971); The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO (January 6-February 6, 1972); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (March 14-May 7, 1972).

Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 11-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982).

Silent Poetry: Masterworks of Chinese Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 14, 2015-April 24, 2016).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Barbarian Royalty Worshiping the Buddha|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1957.358|author=Zhao Guangfu|year=900s|access-date=11 December 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Barbarian Royalty Worshiping the Buddha

Barbarian Royalty Worshiping the Buddha

蠻王禮佛圖

attributed to Zhao Guangfu 趙光輔

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