Five Hundred Arhats No.474 · The Venerable Kapphiṇa | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.474 The Venerable Kapphiṇa

Kapphiṇa is the ancient Sanskrit transliteration (also rendered as the lunar-mansion elder), known in tradition for mastery of astronomy and the lunar mansions. Listed among the five hundred arhats, the name signifies bright past-life wisdom and knowledge of the stars. The venerable appears as an Indian monk with a clear look; titled by traditional transliteration, kept objectively without invented deeds, conveying only his learned brightness and contemplation of the heavens.

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