Lady in a Blue Cape
Artist/Culture
Chinese
Daten.d.
Mediumsilk
Dimensions48.5 x 29.2 cm (19 1/8 x 11 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of Miss Florance Waterbury
Terms
Object number1957.165
Label TextThis hand-scroll depicts Buddha’s loyal disciples (lohan), sent out as missionaries to carry the Buddhist faith abroad. The style of the painting is loosely related to that of Min Zhen of the Yangzhou Eccentrics who specialized in figure painting. Due to the amateurish brushwork and unorthodox depictions of the monks, this work suggests the hand of a provincial artist outside the mainstream of Chinese painting.
The lohan shown in the act of charming a dragon into his alms-bowl may be Panthaka (also Pan-t'o-ka, Pantha the Elder or Maha-Panthaka). Panthaka could resolve doubts and difficulties in doctrine and was endowed with great magical powers: he could pass through solids, fly through the air, cause fire and water to appear at leisure and reduce his own size little by little until he vanished. The lohan shown soothing, restraining and riding a tiger is probably Po-t’e-lo (or Bhadra). Having power over wild animals Po-t’e-lo has come to exemplify the strength to overcome evil.
ProvenanceMiss Florance Waterbury, New YorkOn View
Not on view
