Two versions of bodhisattva Guanyin, c.1750 (ink & colour on silk)

The court painter Ding Guanpeng was prominent during the Qianlong reign (1736–95) as a painter of Buddhist and Daoist subject matter. In this exquisitely painted hanging scroll, subtle shades of blue and gold combine with fluid drawing and fine details to give the composition a courtly elegance. The scene depicts two versions of Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion, each sumptuously attired in silk and jewelry and holding sutras (Buddhist scriptures) while seated in the position of “royal ease” atop elaborate pedestals. In the foreground are an arhat (one who has attained enlightenment) carrying a walking staff, the child prodigy Sudhana seeking spiritual council, and a six-tusk white elephant, all paying homage to Buddhist thought.