Barbarian Royalty Worshiping the Buddha

蠻王禮佛圖

900s

attributed to Zhao Guangfu 趙光輔

(Chinese, c. 923–976)

Culture

China, Northern Song dynasty (960–1127)

Medium

Handscroll; ink and color on silk

Measurements

Painting section: 28.6 x 103.5 cm (11 1/4 x 40 3/4 in.); Overall with colophon: 28.6 x 667.7 cm (11 1/4 x 262 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Severance and Greta Millikin 1957.358

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Sixteen "barbarians" pay homage to the Buddha, who is seated on a lotus throne with two disciples and two guardians.

Description

This painting begins on the right with 15 people following a dignified figure wearing headgear with twin pheasant feathers. He extends an incense burner toward the Buddha, who is seated on his lotus throne and flanked by two haloed disciples and two Heavenly Kings. The worshipers’ diverse physical features, regional finery, and religious affiliations suggest the universal appeal of Buddhism.

The imagery was inspired by the foreign envoys who frequently came to the Chinese court to give tribute to the emperor. At the time, all outsiders were considered “barbarians,” so their presence was seen as acknowledgment of China’s political and cultural power.