China
1736–1795
China
1736–1795
Rahula was the Buddha’s son and became one of his sixteen original deciples, or arhats. This arhat’s chief identifying atribute is a crown, which he holds with both hands at his chest.This painting is an example of the kind of Tibetan Buddhist art produced in the Manchu Qing imperial court under the Qianlong emperor (reigned 1736–1795). It combines Indian figural models with Chinese landscapes heavy with azurite and malichite. The Chinese blue-green landscape forms have become stylized by Tibetan conventions and populated by buddhas and other sacred figures that are portrayed in a Tibetan manner, such as the red Buddha of Infinite Life (Amitayus) floating at the top of the composition. Especially distinctive is the Chinese auspicious imagery, such as the long-tailed clouds shaped like the ruyi scepter, a rebus for “as you wish” subtly worked into the composition. A pair of male and female suplicants with unusually modeled faces kneel below.
The central goal of Buddhism is the liberation of all beings from suffering and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, known as samsara, through applying the teachings of the Buddha.
Himalayan art includes portraits of legendary and historical humans, including accomplished religious teachers (lamas), the Buddha’s original disciples (arhats), and spiritually accomplished tantric masters (mahasiddhas).
Although Tibetan Buddhism was not practiced broadly in China, the imperial centers, such as Beijing and Mount Wutai, emerged as hubs of Tibetan Buddhist cultural production. The emperors of the Mongol Yuan (1271–1368), Chinese Ming (1368–1644), and Manchu Qing (1644–1911) dynasties harnessed Tibetan Buddhist ideas to consolidate their power.
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