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Dharmatala
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Dharmatala
CHINA; Qing dynasty (1644-1911); By Yao Wenhan;Ink and color on paper; 114.4 x 66.8 cm;National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
This painting depicts the lay Buddhist Dharmatala, the 17th Arhat. He sits at ease on a blanket placed on a large rock, holding a whisk in his right hand and a vase in his left. His colorful clothes in the style of the Qing dynasty suggest that he is not a monastic. A sutra case topped with a canopy is placed behind Dharmatala. On the left, partially concealed by the rock, a tiger and a cub lie peacefully on the ground. Another tiger sits below the Arhat's feet. In the lower right corner, a figure leans against a sutra case. On a rock to the left, an animal-shaped golden sculpture emits a jet of water that shoots upwards and supports the Buddha of Infinite Light. To the right of the Buddha, an accomplished Indian practitioner, wearing a sash and a dhoti, sits on colored clouds. |
