Imagery of efficacy : a Daoist frontispiece by Liang Kai of the southern Song dynasty

Abstract

This study investigates the content and the original function of the painting The Daoist Deity by Southern Song artist Liang Kai. As one of the earliest surviving paintings of religious Daoism, Liang Kai’s painting has undergone heated debates on its content and the iconography of the central deity. Its present format as a handscroll also covers up its religious value as a frontispiece. This study examines the content and narrative of this painting with detailed comparisons with contemporary religious motifs and Daoist texts and proposes that it depicts the idea of generating merits to get salvation after death. The careful arrangement of religious motifs and accurate depiction of the ritual process indicate that the painting was intentionally designed by the artist and audited by the Daoist priests with the consideration of the reading process and its goal to ensure efficacy. This study also rediscovers the religious value of this painting in its original format as a frontispiece. Through the study of the distinctive Daoist motif in the painting and the chanting rituals, this study argues that this painting considered religious efficacy as one of the most important criteria during its production. Furthermore, the efficacy of the painting was precepted in the chanting process which was strictly regulated and required the involvement of different senses.