Five Hundred Arhats No.91 · The Venerable Mahākauṣṭhila | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.91 The Venerable Mahākauṣṭhila

Mahākauṣṭhila, also called the 'long-nailed sage' and uncle of Śāriputra, took refuge in the Buddha, realized arhatship and was famed as foremost in eloquence, mastering the four kinds of unobstructed analytical knowledge. The venerable appears in debate with a keen expression, possessing deep sharp wisdom, unobstructed eloquence and the bearing to overcome opposing doctrines.

Painted by Li Zongyi in the freehand Chinese ink (xieyi) tradition, the brushwork is fluent and the ink tones layered from dense to pale, capturing the arhat’s spirit in a few assured strokes. The blank paper itself breathes Zen; figure and spirit are one, blending monastic solemnity with the literati’s ease. Each of the Five Hundred Arhats bears its own name and practice, uniting faith, art and collectibility — an original, non-reproducible hand-painted work.

Size: approx. 100×50cm (4.5 square chi) | Traditional hand-painted Chinese ink Zen Buddhist figure painting | On paper