Artwork
慈恩大師像|Portrait of Jion Daishi (Guiji)
慈恩大師像|Portrait of Jion Daishi (Guiji) is an ink painting. It dates from 1316 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This hanging scroll, titled Portrait of Jion Daishi (Guiji), depicts a Buddhist monk in a serene, seated posture.
- Accession no.
- 50.137
- Credit line
- Rogers Fund, 1950
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Such portraits functioned as objects of veneration and as visual teaching tools within the religious context of fourteenth-century Japan.
The painting depicts Jion Daishi (Guiji), a Buddhist monk, in a traditional hanging-scroll portrait format. He is shown in simple robes with a serene expression, embodying Buddhist ideals of humility and spiritual discipline. Such portraits functioned as objects of veneration and as visual teaching tools within the religious context of fourteenth-century Japan.
Created in Japan in 1316 and now held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the work is a notable example of early Buddhist portraiture.
Technique & Style
The portrait is executed as a hanging scroll in ink and color on silk, a format typical of Japanese Buddhist icon painting by the early fourteenth century. Fine linear drapery folds are combined with modulated ink washes to articulate the monk's robes and seated posture, while mineral pigments define the flesh and textile hues. Stylistic features include a serene frontal presentation, elongated facial proportions, and an austere setting that emphasizes the subject's spiritual authority.
History & Provenance
Portrait of Jion Daishi (Guiji) was created in Japan in 1316 as a hanging scroll in ink and color on silk. No artist is recorded, and the work is attributed to an anonymous painter. It depicts the Buddhist monk Jion Daishi (Guiji) and is classified within the portrait genre.
The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it remains part of the permanent holdings. The cited records do not specify an accession number, the original commission, or the chain of ownership prior to its acquisition, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
This hanging scroll, titled Portrait of Jion Daishi (Guiji), depicts a Buddhist monk in a serene, seated posture. Created in Japan during the 1300s, the artwork utilizes ink and color on silk. The painting captures the subject in profile, emphasizing a sense of quiet contemplation and spiritual calm through his composed demeanor and simple attire.
Artist & collection
