Lin Tinggui

Lin Tinggui was a distinguished Chinese painter of the Southern Song Dynasty, celebrated for his artistry inspired by Chinese Buddhism. One of his most acclaimed works is the "Five Hundred Luohan" series, which he completed in 1178 in collaboration with Zhou Jichang. These paintings, commissioned as a gift for a Buddhist temple, depict the legend of five hundred Buddhist saints residing on Mount Tiantai.

In the 13th century, these artworks made their way to Japan, where they were housed at Jufuku-ji Temple in Kamakura. There, the Japanese painter-priest Minchou created copies for other regional temples. Over time, the original set was relocated multiple times within Japan, eventually finding a home at Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto.

In 1894, financial exigencies led to an auction in Boston where forty-four of the paintings were sold. One of Lin Tinggui's pieces, "Luohan Laundering" was acquired by Charles Lang Freer and now resides in the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. This particular painting beautifully depicts a Luohan washing clothes by a stream in a verdant, forested landscape.

Additional paintings from the "Five Hundred Luohan" series by Lin Tinggui and Zhou Jichang are also part of the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Lin Tinggui's artistic legacy, particularly his contributions to Buddhist-themed art, continues to profoundly influence and enrich both Chinese and Japanese art history.