Buddhas of the Three Generations

This painting, titled Buddhas of Infinite Life across the top, shows the figures of the Buddhas of the Three Generations set on elaborately adorned lotus pedestals: Kashyapa (the buddha of the past, on the right), Shakyamuni (the buddha of the present, in the center), and Maitreya (the buddha of the future, on the left). Under the three are two of the followers of Shakyamuni: Ananda and Kashyapa. In the foreground, the Four Guardian Kings hold the items attributed to them, respectively: a sword, a stringed instrument, a pagoda statue, and a parasol. A flower basin supported by clouds emerges from the center.

Ding Guanpeng started painting in the Qing imperial workshop in the 1720s and enjoyed even greater prestige during the reign of the Qianlong emperor, who was fascinated with Buddhism and frequently commissioned work on Buddhist themes in various media. Ding’s paintings, colorful and detailed in style, won the favor of Qianlong and often served as models for embroidery, tapestry, and furniture on the same subject. The emperor displayed those works in his palaces and temples, and even gave them as gifts to the lamas of Tibet.