Five Hundred Arhats No.3 · The Virtuous, Taintless Venerable | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.3 The Virtuous, Taintless Venerable

His name means one who holds virtue within and is utterly free from stain — “taintless” is a mind cleansed of defilement, restored to its natural purity. With a clear, dust-free countenance, he radiates bright-hearted integrity.

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