夏荊山=Xia Jin Shan; 地藏菩薩=Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva; 地藏本願功德經=Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra; 六地藏圖像=Kṣitigarbha as the Lord of the Six Ways; 地藏十王圖=Kṣitigarbha and Ten Underworld Kings
Xia Jing Shan was a master of Taoist and Buddhist portraiture, whose focus shifted to Buddhist paintings in the later stage of his career. He depicted a wide range of subjects, including portraits of Buddha, bodhisattvas, arhats, and Dharma protectors. Each of his portrait exudes qualities that are solemn and majestic, and included in Xia's prolific oeuvre are also portraits of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, one of the four principal bodhisattvas; although he painted more portraits of Avalokiteśvara, the number of Kṣitigarbha portraits created by Xia is still quite considerable. This paper examines Xia Jing Shan's life-long diverse oeuvre of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva portraits. Starting with references of classics associated with Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, focus is placed on the bodhisattva's great vow to save the sentient beings in hell, with iconic Kṣitigarbha portraits that have been preserved in history briefly described. Xia's prolific oeuvre of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva paintings are then categorized into two major groups of single and group portraits, with further analysis then conducted on the styles, sitting and standing postures, and the bodhisattva's entourage depicted in the group portraits, including the doctrines and origins of the portrayed attendant figures, guardian deities, followers and worshippers, as well as the notable stylistic features observed in the paintings' brushwork and color application. Lastly, the paper concludes with how Xia inherited traditions and also incorporated innovative elements in his paintings of Kṣitigarbha and also his position in the history of Chinese traditional Buddhist painting.
