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The Assembly of Tejaprabha
- Title Translation: 炽盛光佛会图
- Period: Yuan, early 14th century
- Project: Guangsheng Temple Murals
- Work Description: This mural comes from a monastery in Shanxi province called the Temple of Expansive Victory (Guangshengsi). Tejaprabha, Buddha of Radiant Light, was believed to control the constellations and to protect against celestial catastrophes. An earthquake severely damaged the monastery in 1303, and it is possible that this mural was commissioned in response to that calamity. Tejaprabha sits here on a lotus throne surrounded by a constellation of figures representing the Eleven Celestial Luminaries-the Sun, Moon, and Five Planets of traditional Chinese astronomy and the four imaginary Dark Stars. The painting technique uses strong sweeping outlines of black ink, filled with bright mineral colors, particularly cinnabar red and malachite green, with a subtle use of blue highlights. The figures are solemn and substantial, counterbalanced by fluid drapery lines, flying scarves and transparent haloes that give the mural a sense of light gracefulness and intense, but restrained, energy.
1271
1368
1368
Wenshu, Bodhisattva of Wisdom at a Writing Table
- Title Translation: 文殊，写字台上的智慧菩萨
- Period: Yuan, 1354 C.E.
- Project: Guangsheng Temple Murals
1354
Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo)
- Title Translation: 药师佛法会图壁画
- Period: Yuan, 1319 C.E.
- Project: Guangsheng Temple Murals
- Work Description: Iconography: Bhaishajyaguru (A), the Buddha of Medicine, sits on a lotus throne surrounded by an assembly of deities. Standing to either side of the central figure are the Buddha’s attendant bodhisattvas: Candraprabha (B), or Yueguang Pusa 月光菩薩, and Suryaprabha (C), or Riguang Pusa 日光菩薩. They can be identified by the adjacent white moon and the red sun, respectively. Two larger bodhisattvas are seated to the right and left of the smaller standing figures. Two secondary bodhisattvas at lower left and lower right carry a monk’s staff and medicine bowl (D and E), Bhaishajyaguru’s traditional attributes. The Twelve Guardian Generals (F) are depicted at the two sides of the mural. They personify Bhaishajyaguru’s vow to help all in need by curing illness, ensuring the birth of healthy children, and providing clothing and other necessities. This painting was originally paired with an equally large image of Tejaprabha, the Buddha of Blazing Light, who controls the planets and constellations and, therefore, one’s fate. He is believed to bring good fortune and long life. The pairing of Bhaishajyaguru and Tejaprabha is unusual and may illustrate concerns fostered by the devastating earthquake and fire that destroyed the Guangsheng monastery complex in 1303. Technique and Style: This mural was painted on a ground of dry plaster mixed with straw and covered with clay. Thick black outlines define the images, which are filled in using vegetable and mineral pigments. Only the latter—predominantly red, green, and white—have survived. This is one of several murals from the Fen River area, in southern Shanxi province that are associated with the workshop of the early fourteenth-century master craftsman Zhu Haogu. A robust figure type with a full face and shallow spatial constrictions typify the style, found in both Buddhist and Daoist temple art. History: This representation of the Buddha of Medicine once adorned the east wall of the main hall in the Lower Guangsheng (“Vast Triumph”) Temple, in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi. Rebuilt after an earthquake in 1303, the temple’s eastern compound is constructed along a north-south axis. The large entry gate leads into the front and main halls, which are connected by covered walkways. Used for assemblies and lectures, the main hall once contained paintings on its east, north, and west walls, as well as numerous freestanding wooden sculptures of Buddhist deities. Records indicate that the hall was rebuilt and refurbished between 1303 and 1319. A stele at the temple indicates that in the 1930s the monks sold four of the murals decorating the main hall in order to prevent its collapse after being damaged by an earthquake.
1319