Relief of Arhat
Lapis lazuli
Relief of Arhat
CHINA; Qing dynasty
This Qing dynasty relief of an Arhat measures 13.8 cm high, while the figure is around half that size. The Arhat is portrayed sitting by a stream under a tree in the mountains, with an incense burner in front of him. He has a high forehead, large eyes, and prominent nose, and he holds a scroll, appearing to be deep in thought. The entire piece is in the form of a rocky mountain. It is an inspiring work of art illustrating the solitary life lead by the mountain hermit.
The inscription was written by Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1736–1795). It is quite enigmatic and serves to heighten the theme, resulting in a rich and elegantly balanced composition.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts, page 274.
Cite this article:
Hsingyun, et al. "Relief of Arhat." Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts , vol. 18, 2016, pp. 274.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Youji, Stefanie Pokorski, Mankuang, and Wen Fan. 2016. "Relief of Arhat" In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts , 18:274.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Youji, Pokorski, S., Mankuang, & Fan, W.. (2016). Relief of Arhat. In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts (Vol. 18, pp. 274).
@misc{Hsingyun2016,
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youji and Pokorski, Stefanie and Mankuang and Fan, Wen,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts },
pages = 274,
title = {{Relief of Arhat}},
volume = 18,
year = {2016}}
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youji and Pokorski, Stefanie and Mankuang and Fan, Wen,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts },
pages = 274,
title = {{Relief of Arhat}},
volume = 18,
year = {2016}}