CHINA, STYLE OF XUMI FUSHOU TEMPLE, QING DYNASTY, LATE 18TH CENTURY

Ksitigarbha, known in China as Dayuan Dizang Pusa, is one of the four principal bodhisattvas of the Mahayana Buddhist traditions of China. The present depiction of him in a princely appearance contrasts that of earlier Chinese depictions of him as a monk and more closely conforms to the Tibetan Buddhist persuasion of the Qianlong Emperor and his imperial preceptor, Changkya Rolpai Dorje, who were ultimately responsible for the genesis of the Xumi Fushou Temple style. The jeweled mandorla, ornate lotus throne, pastel palette, and three-lobed style of clouds closely matches that of examples directly attributed by inscription to the Xumi Fushou Temple while the ornamented trees and the cluster of jewels that sit before Ksitigarbha reflect the Tibetan influence on this composition. Attendants of the sixteen arhats, Hvashang and Dharmatala, who sit just below the great bodhisattva are labeled with Chinese inscriptions.