Five Hundred Arhats No.208 · The Venerable First of the Fortunate Aeon | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.208 The Venerable First of the Fortunate Aeon

'First of the fortunate aeon' is the foremost of the thousand buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa, the first to awaken in this fortunate aeon and their forerunner; the name marks one at the head of the aeon who carries on the Buddha-seed. The venerable has a dignified leading bearing, possessing the transcendence of the aeon's first guide, foremost of the Buddha-seed, the very first to arise among the thousand buddhas of the fortunate age.

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