Tiger-Taming Arhat

CHINA; Southern Song dynasty

The aged Arhat sits on a rock under a pine tree. He has an aquiline nose, closed lips, and profound, downcast eyes. A plain nimbus encircles his head. His monastic robe leaves the bony right shoulder bare. The Arhat holds a bamboo staff in his right hand while his left hand strokes the head of a crouching tiger. On the left, an attendant and a young monk stand in the background. The folds in the clothing of the figures are depicted with angular “iron-wire” lines. The rocks are painted with dark ink in the “ax-cut” strokes popular during the Southern Song dynasty. Lines of varying thickness give the pine tree a rich, three-dimensional look.