The Five Hundred Arhats
1608
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1608
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Five Hundred Arhats is a 1608 unspecified by Wu Bin, a Ming Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a very long scroll packed with tiny people—monks, beggars, even a few dragons—all doing different things. Each figure is drawn with sharp, careful lines, but no two look the same. Some are laughing, some are meditating, and a few seem to float in mid-air. The artist, Wu Bin, mixed real and magical moments together, like a comic strip of holy men. If you like this, look up other handscrolls from china, ming dynasty (1368–1644).
More than 66 feet long, this handscroll depicts 447 luohans , 72 attendants, and the bodhisattva of compassion at its very end. Luohans (arhats in Sanskrit), disciples of the Buddha and protectors of the Buddha’s law, possess supernatural powers and take on myriad external appearances. The amusing assortment of characters are engaged in an array of religious, secular, and miraculous activities. The painter used stylistic features borrowed from earlier artists, carefully controlled lines, and refined coloring. Wu Bin was a lay Buddhist and depicting this sort of image was part of a religious…
Far advanced on the path to enlightenment, arhats have the capacity to tame tigers, free dragons, and to float on water or in the air.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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