19th Century Indian Print with Guanyin the Bodhisattva of Compassion on Elephant

An antique Indian painting from the 19th century depicting Guanyin the Bodhisattva of Compassion sitting on a dragon. Created in India during the 19th century, this large painting features Guanyin the Bodhisattva of Compassion, sitting on the head of a dragon, fluffy clouds adorning the painting's lower section. Her right foot on a lotus flower, Guanyin wears an ornate headdress and elegant clothes. The painting itself measures 30.5"W x 53.5" H and has been set inside a custom frame. Its peaceful subject will make this 19th century Indian painting...

An antique Chinese unusual large hand painted two-sided elm divider depicting Guanyin and Zhong Kui, from the first half of the 20th century. This antique Ch...

A Tibetan Thangka Buddhist painting hand-painted on canvas, created for the veneration of the Three Great Bodhisattvas. Embrace the rich tradition of Tibetan Buddhism with this vibra...

Mandarin Taoist Chinese ceremonial scroll portrait painting in custom plexiglass frame. Exuding an air of spiritual significance and artistic mastery, this Mandarin Taoist Chinese ce...

Chinese ink rubbing printing depicting Panthaka Arhat, no.4 of the 16 arhat images immortalized in stone at the former stupa at Shengyin Temple. Depicted here sitting on a rock with a book in his left hand and snapping his fingers in his right hand, symbolic of the speed at which he obtained enlightenment, accompanied by a beggar’s bowl and an incense burner, complete with colophons and silk scroll mounting. The Emperor Qianlong ordered the stone stele to be carved in 1764 after the arhat designs painted by the famed artist Guanxiu (832-912). Even though the temple was destroyed in the Taiping rebellion, the steles remain and have been reinstalled at the Hangzhou Stele Forest. Condition: Creases from rolling, otherwise fine condition. Mounting: 58” x 22”. 19th Century. Ex Collection: Frank “Till” & Peggy Durdin, San Diego. For other rubbings of this stele see: Penn Museum, object number 2010-26-4 The Metropolitan Museum of Art AN#: 59.195.15 Fine Arts Library of Harvard University, record id: W280021_urn-3:FHCL:478850 For another example of this image rendered in jade and lacquer see: “Screen Paintings of Guanxiu’s Sixteen Arhats in the Collection of the Palace Museum” Luo Wehhua translated by Bruce Doar, Orientations, September 2010, p. 104. In this article the image is identified as the sixteenth arhat Abheda, It is explained in this article that Qianlong re-identified the arhats, thus the 16th Arhat attribution for this image. Also in this article the identical colophon by Qianlong above the image is translated as: “These accurate portraits of the Sixteen Arhats were created by the Tang Dynasty painter Guanxiu, as recorded in Xuanhe Huapu (Record of paintings in the Xuanhe Reign), and during the millennium from the Guangming reign period to the present day, the original works were to be found in Zhejiang, where they were housed in the collection of Shengyin Temple in Qiantang (Huangzhou). In spring of the dingchou year (1757) of his reign, the Qianlong emperor undertook a southern tour of inspection and stayed at an imperial lodge on the West Lake. He went to the temple to pay his respects and there he saw the arhats on display and wrote a description of these marvels. The sequence of the arhats and their names had been passed down since ancient times, but they did not correspond to their Sanskrit titles; the sequence of the arhat names conformed instead to the interpretation of the Sanskrit classics by the Zhangjia State Preceptor. The emperor penned the original names and positions in the sequence below each of the figures in accordance with the readings supplied in Tongwen Yuntong (Unified Rhymes), and below each he penned an encomium, which he signed. Then the images were returned to the collection, to be passed down as a perpetual treasure. Now, the fourth great arhat had long gone missing and we did not know where his painting was. But it was merely a trifling matter of matching the images with the names, and now surely we have found him! This I, the emperor, believe.” All 16 of these rubbings can be found in the Rubel Chinese Rubbings Collection at the Fine Arts Library of Harvard University with the following descriptive historical note: “Rubbing from stele depicting No. 4 of 16 arhats (Lohans, Buddhist saints) -- Nan ti mi duo luo qing you, Panthaka Arhat. Original painting attributed to Guanxiu, 832-912. Inscriptions written by Hongli, Emperor Qianlong (Gaozong, 1711-1799) of Qing Dynasty. 7 seals of Qianlong follow the inscriptions. Script style: in xing shu. Shi liu zun zhe -- "The 16 noble ones" are 16 lohans. Lohans are also called "a-lo-han" based on the transliteration of the Sanskrit term "arhat." (Japanese: Rakan; Chinese: Lohan; Tibetan: Gnas-brtan). Arhats or Arahants are saints or sages said to have renounced nirvana (freedom from the cycle of suffering and rebirth), vowed to remain in the world to protect the Dharma and propagate the Law of the Buddha in order to devote themselves more effectively to the relief of human misery, like the Bodhisattvas. These 16 Arhats, personal disciples distinguished by the Buddha, formed part of the 500 claimed by tradition to have attended the First Council in Rajagrha. The names and abodes of these 16 arhats are given in a work entitled "Record on the Duration of the Law, spoken by the Great arhat Nadimitra," which was translated into Chinese by the famous pilgrim Xuanzang (596-664) in 654. 16 lohans are quite often represented, especially in China and Japan, in sculpture and painting, in poses and with attributes. Every lohan can be easily with special icongraphic characteristics. Guanxiu (Jiang Deyin or Deyuan, a Buddhist monk also named Master Chan Yue, 832-912) -- painter during late Tang to Five Dynasties, specialized in painting lohan figures. Legend has it that the first portraits of the 18 Lohans...

A beautiful framed antique Japanese School ink and color painting on silk, 19th century, finely detailed and richly colored, depicting Amida Triad, with two Bodhisattva attendants worshipping Buddha, on a gilt arabesque mat, in a black frame. Provenance / Acquisition: A Private Dallas Collector Acquired from the highly reputable auction house Dallas Auction Gallery, Dallas, Texas. Summer Fine Arts and Antiques catalog. Owned and curated by Reyne Hirsch, a notable media personality and expert in 20th century decorative arts. She's was a top appraiser for Antiques Roadshow...

Offered is a vibrant and intricate Tibetan Buddhist "thangka" (also known as "tangka", "thanka", or "tanka"), which is what a painting that serves as a visual representation of spiri...

Japanese brush painting of a standing Bodhisattva of Mercy, beautiful colors and brush work, 19th century, original brocade mount