Kuan-yin
Ting Yun-p'eng (1547-after 1628), Ming Dynasty
Album leaves, ink on paper, 31.9 x 28.3 cm each

          Ting Yun-p'eng, a native of Anhwei, was a renowned late Ming painter of landscapes, birds-and-flowers, and Buddhist and Taoist figures.

          Each of the 16 leaves of this album includes a representation of Kuan-yin, who exhibits mercy and compassion out of concern and transforms into various forms to perform salvation for humanity. This album was done using either the "pai-miao" (outline) manner or with simple brushstrokes. Some lines are complex and flowing with rounded turns, while others show angular force with obvious variation in the thickness. Others are abbreviated yet expressive. Judging from the variety and quality of this work, it is not surprising that Ting was known as a master of figure painting in the Ming dynasty.

          In Buddhism, bodhisattvas are not differentiated by gender. Consequently, in this album, Kuan-yin is shown as a male and as a female (sometimes even as both masculine and feminine). Each visualization of Kuan-yin varies, representing the concept of Kuan-yin as a deity who can transform into any form in order to save others.

          From the signature on the last leaf of this album, this work was done in 1618 by Ting at the age of 71.