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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileParis - Bonhams 2016 - Dynastie Qing - Tangka de Hvashang de retour en Chine avec les Arhats - XVIIIème siècle - 005
This detail from a thangka painting features two monk figures set against a background of stylized clouds and a large blue vessel. The upper figure is seated in a cross-legged meditative pose, wearing an elaborate, patterned orange and gold robe with exposed chest, and holds his hands in a meditative mudra. Below him, a smaller figure identified as Hvashang is shown with a shaved head, a wide, joyful, toothy grin, and dressed in layered red, orange, and patterned blue garments, clutching a rolled manuscript or scroll. The painting style uses delicate, detailed brushwork for the fabrics and soft, blended shading for the clouds and the figures' faces.
This painting belongs to the tradition of Tibetan thangka depicting the Sixteen Arhats, who are the protectors of the Buddhist Dharma. Hvashang is typically included in these sets as a representative of Chinese Buddhism, symbolizing the syncretic link between the Indian Arhat tradition and Chinese monastic culture.
The Sixteen Arhats
The iconography represents the standard assembly of the Sixteen Arhats, often depicted with their patron, the monk Hvashang, in Tibetan ritual art.
Object
thangka
silk
Qing dynasty
Tibetan
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
3648 × 5472 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 20, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.