Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Arhats in a Landscape
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
This painting features two "arhats": "worthy ones" who have reached enlightenment by following the Buddha’s teachings, and who will not be reborn. It was probably part of a set depicting the sixteen arhats directly associated with Shakyamuni Buddha. These arhats are identified by small inscriptions: The upper figure is Chudapanthaka; the rocks surrounding him suggest a cave setting. The lower figure is Pindola Bharadvaja, who holds an alms bowl in his left hand. Both arhats are accompanied by Buddhas and visiting monks. The wrathful meditational deities associated with each—Hayagriva above and Vajrayogini (in the form of Naro Dakini) below—are specific to the tantric schools of Buddhism that prevail in Tibet and throughout the Himalayas.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Sonam Tashi, Hong Kong [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, August 1, 1995, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Geographies
Tibet, Kham (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 35 3/4 x W: 24 3/8 in. (90.81 x 61.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2022
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
35.335