Sixteen Arhats
Ink on Bodhi leaf
Sixteen Arhats
CHINA; Qing dynasty
This is part of a set of 16 painted Bodhi leaves depicting the Sixteen Arhats. “Bodhi” is the Sanskrit word for enlightenment. Bodhi trees were given their name after Sakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment while sitting in meditation beneath one. Thus, painting on the leaves of a Bodhi tree takes on a special significance.
The Arhat wears a monastic robe with wide sleeves and smooth folds. He stands with his arms spread, looking up at a floating fan. The veins of the Bodhi leaf in the background blend with the painted figure, adding a symbolic dimension to the artwork.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z, page 856.
Cite this article:
Hsingyun, et al. "Sixteen Arhats." Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z, vol. 16, 2016, pp. 856.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Youlu, Graham Wilson, Manho, Mankuang, and Susan Huntington. 2016. "Sixteen Arhats" In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z, 16:856.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Youlu, Wilson, G., Manho, Mankuang, & Huntington, S.. (2016). Sixteen Arhats. In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z (Vol. 16, pp. 856).
@misc{Hsingyun2016,
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Wilson, Graham and Manho and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z},
pages = 856,
title = {{Sixteen Arhats}},
volume = 16,
year = {2016}}
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Wilson, Graham and Manho and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z},
pages = 856,
title = {{Sixteen Arhats}},
volume = 16,
year = {2016}}