Five Hundred Arhats No.394 · The Venerable Jewel Canopy | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.394 The Venerable Jewel Canopy

'Jewel canopy' means covering beings with a canopy of seven jewels, taking merit as the canopy, shading every capacity, freeing them from fever to gain coolness; the name marks one who universally covers beings with the jewel canopy of merit. The venerable makes a sheltering gesture with a serene look, possessing the serenity of the jewel canopy's shelter, merit's shade, universal cover, protecting beings with the canopy of pure merit.

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