Sixteen Arhats - Bodhidharma (detail)
Ink and color on paper
Sixteen Arhats
CHINA; Ming dynasty
This image is part of a 32.4 cm high and 414.33 cm long scroll depicting the Sixteen Arhats. Dated to 1591, it is one of the early works of the renowned artist Wu Bin. The scroll begins with a depiction of an Arhat bowing to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and ends with an Arhat sitting among tangled tree branches. The rest of the Arhats are depicted alone or in groups of three to five. Wu added two other figures to the painting scroll: monk Budai and Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma is portrayed wearing a red robe, riding on an axle across water. The scroll is painted in bright, elegant colors. Flowing lines are used to depict the facial features and the robes of the figures.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z, page 855.
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 P-Z},
pages = 855,
title = {{Sixteen Arhats}},
volume = 16,
year = {2016}}