Five Hundred Arhats No.268 · The Venerable Crowned with Flame | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.268 The Venerable Crowned with Flame

'Crowned with flame' means taking the flame of wisdom as vanguard, burning up the fuel of defilement, the torch ahead that breaks the dark of ignorance; the name marks one led by the flame of wisdom, burning the fuel of affliction. The venerable looks blazing with torch-like eyes, possessing the brightness of a wisdom fire that flames, burns the fuel of defilement, breaks the dark of delusion and leads with the flame of wisdom.

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