Sakyamuni Buddha and the Eighteen Arhats

CHINA; Qing dynasty

This is a Tibetan nagthang (black thangka) painting. The central figure, Sakyamuni Buddha, is depicted with blue hair and a tall, bejeweled usnisa. Sakyamuni sits in full lotus position on a lotus throne and forms the bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra with his right hand. He has a circular green nimbus and an aureole filled with fine curved lines; both are surrounded by a delicately patterned mandorla decorated with the Six Dharma Symbolic Features.
The disciples Sariputra and Maudgalyayana stand beside the Buddha. Below the lotus throne, four Bodhisattvas flank an altar covered with offerings. The red-bodied Amitayus Buddha is painted above Sakyamuni. Detailed depictions of the Eighteen Arhats sitting within rocky niches are distributed around the sides and the upper corners of the painting. The blue-bodied Palden Lhamo rides on horseback in the center of the lower register, flanked by the Four Heavenly Kings. The intricately executed gold lines and colorful details stand out vividly from the black background. Inscriptions in four languages attribute the painting to Drakpa Dorje, a lama who specialized black thangkas painted with delicate, refined lines.