Hvashang and the Arhats in a Landscape

Hvashang stands in the foreground, wearing an intricate, patterned robe in shades of grey, red, and blue, holding a black bowl in one hand and a white cloth with a flaming jewel in the other. Beside him, an Arhat with a shaved head is dressed in bright saffron monastic robes, standing with one arm raised and holding a miniature golden stupa. The figures are set against a background of stylized blue water, large blooming pink and white lotus flowers, and swirling clouds, typical of Tibetan thangka painting traditions.

This painting belongs to the iconographic tradition of the Sixteen Arhats, the legendary disciples of the Buddha tasked with protecting his teachings, often depicted alongside Hvashang, a figure sometimes conflated with Budai, in Tibetan Buddhist art.