Five Hundred Arhats No.461 · The Venerable Siṃhahanu | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.461 The Venerable Siṃhahanu

Partly from Sanskrit Siṃhahanu ('lion-jaw', traditionally the name of an ancient king, father of Śuddhodana and ancestor of the Buddha), 'jaw' being the cheek; it means his noble marks are like a lion's jaw, majestic and stern. Listed among the five hundred arhats, the name signifies noble lineage and lion-like majesty. The venerable bears an Indian look with a stern air; the title is kept objectively without inventing a lineage, conveying only his majestic, noble aspect.

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