Five Hundred Arhats No.465 · The Venerable Siṃha's Breast | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.465 The Venerable Siṃha's Breast

Siṃha is close to Sanskrit for lion, and 'breast' is the chest; it means his chest is like a lion's, his bearing heroic and firm, possessing the lion's rousing might. Listed among the five hundred arhats, the name signifies lion-like majestic virtue, fearing nothing. The venerable bears an Indian look with a heroic air; partly transliterated, the title is kept objectively without invented deeds, conveying only his lion-like majesty and heroic, fearless 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