Dr. Jennifer N. McIntire

About Dr. Jennifer N. McIntire

Dr. Jennifer N. McIntire teaches art history part-time at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. She received her Ph.D. from Princeton University in Far Eastern Art History. Making Chinese art accessible and understandable to a wide variety of people is a primary interest.

Bust of a Bodhisattva Shakyamuni, 3rd-4th century (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) — Despite a princely upbringing, Siddhartha insisted he was just a man—albeit one who attained perfection.

The historical Buddha

Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin), Northern Qi dynasty, c. 550-60, Shanxi Province, China, sandstone with pigments, 13-3/4 feet / 419.1 cm high (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) — Dressed in robes and adorned with jewels, this princely figure has foregone nirvana, maintaining earthly ties.

Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)

Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo) — This enormous Buddhist wall painting exemplifies an important format of Chinese painting rarely seen in the West.

Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo)

Fan Kuan, Travelers by Streams and Mountains, ink on silk hanging scroll, c. 1000, 206.3 x 103.3 cm. (National Palace Museum, Taibei) — This monumental landscape is the most majestic example of early Song “mountain water” painting.

Neo-Confucianism and Fan Kuan, Travelers by Streams ...

Mogao caves — Located at a desert crossroads along the Silk Road, these famous caves boast wall paintings and colorful sculpture.

Mogao caves at Dunhuang

Central Vairocana Buddha surrounded on either side by a monk, bodhisattva, heavenly king, a Vajrapani (thunderbolt holder), 673–75 C.E., Tang dynasty, limestone, Luoyang, Henan province, (photo: Kevin Poh, CC BY 2.0) — This cave complex reveals how Northern Wei and early Tang rulers used Buddhist imagery to assert authority.

Longmen caves, Luoyang

Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui), 2nd century B.C.E., silk, 205 x 92 x 47.7 cm (Hunan Provincial Museum) — Excavated from an ancient tomb, this opulent silk banner features the earliest known portrait in Chinese painting.

Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui)

The historical Buddha — Despite a princely upbringing, Siddhartha insisted he was just a man—albeit one who attained perfection.

The historical Buddha

Cosmic Mount Meru (detail) — The religion that originated in India took on so many different forms that it is often difficult to see how the various sects of Buddhism are related.

Introduction to Buddhism