Qinglian Upper Temple Avalokitesvara Pavilion: Sixteen Arhats - Arhat
Clay
Qinglian Upper Temple Avalokitesvara Pavilion: Sixteen Arhats
CHINA, Shanxi, Jincheng; Northern Song dynasty
The Sixteen Arhats line the walls of the Avalokitesvara Pavilion, three on each side of Avalokitesvara and five on each side of the walls. They were repainted during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) but were badly damaged during the Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). Each figure is individualized in appearance and age.
The Arhat depicted here wears an outer robe in the simple field-pattern design but with a floral-patterned gold hem. The garment exposes an under robe with an equally broad embroidered hem crossed below the neck. The figure is seated in a variation of the relaxation posture with one hand on the overhanging leg and an elbow resting on the raised knee of the other leg. The Arhat’s eyes are closed and the free hand supports the back of his inclined head.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr, page 865.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr},
pages = 865,
title = {{Qinglian Upper Temple Avalokitesvara Pavilion: Sixteen Arhats}},
volume = 12,
year = {2016}}