Huating Temple: Eighteen Arhats (detail)
Ink and color on silk
Huating Temple: Eighteen Arhats
CHINA, Yunnan, Kunming; Qing dynasty
Huating Temple was originally the villa of Gao Zhisheng, the governor of Kunming from the Dali Kingdom (937–1253). The temple houses a large collection of antique artworks, including this set of gilded paintings that portray the Eighteen Arhats. They are thought to have been painted by an artist from the court of Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1736–1795). The paintings were given to Qiongzhu Temple in Yunnan during the rule of Emperor Xianfeng (reigned 1850–1861) and were later brought to the Huating Temple.
The set consists of eight vertical scrolls, each painted with two or three Arhats. The Arhats are outlined in ink and brightly colored. The Arhat in this image has a large head, round eyes, and a curly mustache and beard. Clad in a red monastic robe decorated with gold patterns, the dignified Arhat holds a fan in his right hand and sits with the left leg bent.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting A-H, page 345.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Wilson, Graham and Manho and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting A-H},
pages = 345,
title = {{Huating Temple: Eighteen Arhats}},
volume = 14,
year = {2016}}