伝教大師(最澄)像|Portrait of Dengyō Daishi (Saichō)

Unidentified

early 18th century · Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk · Asian Art

This imagined portrait shows the monk Saichō (767–822), also known by his posthumous title Dengyō Daishi, sitting cross-legged on a Chinese-style carved lacquer chair in front of a painted screen. Saichō was the first Japanese patriarch of Tendai Buddhism, whose teachings are based on those of the Chinese Tientai sect. The notably Chinese-inflected portrayal here is a reminder that Saichō traveled to China in 804 and is said to have brought back manuals on Esoteric Buddhism, drawings of portraits of Tientai masters, and ritual accoutrements. Apocryphal lore also suggests that Saichō’s genealogy could be traced back to Chinese emperors.

Artist

Unidentified

Date

early 18th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, 2020