Title: The Shaka Triad with the Sixteen Benevolent Deities, Inscribed 1507. A Late Muromachi Period Painting, Beautifully Detailed and Illuminated in Gold Leaf, Depicting Shakyamuni and More
Condition: Very Good
A Late Muromachi Period, early 16th century painting, depicting the Shaka Triad with the Sixteen Benevolent Deities. This painting would have been the main icon for readings of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra.
Beginning from the top, the historical Buddha Shakyamuni forms a triad with the bodhisattvas Fugen and Monju, all three of which are illuminated in gold leaf. The Sixteen Benevolent Deities are depicted in detail.
The historical Buddha Shakyamuni forms a triad with the bodhisattvas Fugen and Monju. Sixteen deities who protect the Buddhist scripture called the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra surround them. At the bottom also stands the Chinese monk Xuanzang, noted as a Buddhist scholar and translator of religious texts from India, including the Great Wisdom Sutra.
The scroll bears an inscription, being commemorated in the third year of the Zhengde Era. In initially dating this painting and studying the inscription, I was very slightly confused the era name by misreading the character for Zhengde 德 as 徳 instead, for Shotoku. However, there are very slight character differences which can be easier to miss, and such a painting is certainly not of the Mid Edo Period.
Although this painting was sold privately along with others at the behest of a private family estate, it was disclosed that the owner of the collection was a historical researcher once serving as the director of libraries and museums in Hyogo Prefecture. With that in mind, it is highly possible that this individual was Yusuke Nakahara, the famed Japanese art critic, curator, scholar, lecturer, university president, art festival organizer, and cultural administrator. As he did have a substantial library, it is no surprised that his collection could have also contained several hundred paintings.
The painting has been neatly mounted onto a brocade decorated kakejiku (hanging scroll), with jikusaki (knobs) made of lacquered wood. There is a wooden box to accompany the painting, preserving it.
One painting mounted on a kakejiku (hanging scroll), 171 x 55 cm full size, 94 x 42 cm main painting
This painting is in in very good shape, with very minor wear and light staining dotting places. Some of the white pigments have scraped away, though the other paints have suffered less loss.