| Scroll of Buddhist Images Chang Sheng-wen (fl. latter half of 12th c.), Ta-li Kingdom (Sung Period) Handscroll, ink and colors on paper, section 1) 30.4 x 72.2 cm, 2) 30.4 x 1515.2 cm, 3) 30.4 x 49.1 cm
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Chang Sheng-wen is an unrecorded artist, but the inscription at the end of the work by the monk Miao-kuang indicates that Chang was a painter in the Ta-li Kingdom, which flourished in the area of Yunnan to the southwest of the Sung dynasty. Emperor Li-chen (Tuan Chih-hsing; r. 1172-1199) of Ta-li commissioned this work from Chang Sheng-wen. The scroll contains three sections with dividers. The first shows Emperor Li-chen worshipping the Buddha with an incense burner and officials behind. Representations of emperors worshipping the Buddha exist as early as the Northern Wei (424-534) in China, and the regalia of Li-chen here is similar to that worn by Chinese emperors. This suggests the close relationship between the Ta-li Kingdom and China at the time. The headdresses of the officials, outfits for the generals, and rhino hide armor for the soldiers, however, reflect Ta-li customs. |
