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Lot Essay
This finely painted image of the arhat Bakula carried out in the style of the Qing imperial court belongs to an imperial Chinese school of Tibetan-style Buddhism that flourished during a period of cultural interchange between China, Mongolia, and Tibet in the eighteenth century. As a newly established dynasty, the Qing, who were themselves Manchus and not of Han Chinese descent, relied on the discipline and support of other foreign ethnic groups, including the Mongolians and Tibetans, for their dominance of China proper. In the pursuit of this goal, the Manchus propagated and heavily patronized Tibetan-style Buddhism. As early as the Yuan dynasty, the Mongolians had relied on the spiritual wisdom of Tibetan Buddhist masters as guidance in matters both religious and secular. They would consult with Tibetan lamas (teachers), for instance, prior to battle, and believed that subsequent victories were the result of their karmic righteousness. In the following centuries, Mongolian adherence to Tibetan Buddhism only increased, and the Qing Emperors took advantage of this devotion by lavishly patronizing Tibetan Buddhist activities in the capital of Beijing and within its lavish palaces.
The present painting is signed in Chinese in a vertical cartouche at the lower left corner of the painting: “respectfully painted by the court-official Ding Guanpeng,” and was thus likely commissioned by the Qing imperial palace in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Ding Guanpeng was a noted Chinese court painter who was active from the later part of the Kangxi era (1661–1722) through to the Qianlong era (1735–96). At one point he studied oil painting under Giuseppe Castiglione, and he was noted for painting people and landscapes, as well as his knowledge of Tibetan painting. The style of the present painting differs slightly from the usual oeuvre of the artist’s work, and it is possible this painting was carried out in homage to the well-known eighteenth-century court painter.
The painting shows Bakula seated in a relaxed position atop a rocky outcropping; his left hand is held in a gesture of teaching, and his right hand cradles a brown mongoose copiously ejecting wish-fulfilling jewels from his mouth. The mongoose is a symbol for wealth, signifying that he will bestow the material requisites for anyone seeking to follow the Buddhist path. To the right of Bakula, a diminutive figure dressed in Chinese scholar's robes and holding a ruyi scepter attends to his needs. The background of the painting illustrates three vignettes showing the life stories of Bakula. Attaining the spiritual goal of enlightenment late in his life, Bakula the Elder was one of Shakyamuni Buddha’s closest disciples. According to Mahayana traditions, the Buddha selected sixteen enlightened disciples from amongst his students and requested them to remain in the world after his passing, protecting the Buddhist teachings for as long as beings are capable of benefiting from them. The Sixteen Arhats vowed at the time of the Buddha’s enlightenment to remain in the world until the time of the future Buddha Maitreya. In later classifications of the Sixteen Arhats, Bakula is considered to be the ninth of the sixteen disciples.
The dominant imperial Buddhist style of painting of the eighteenth century was itself inspired by, among other things, the fifteenth-century arhat painting tradition of the Yongle period. Compare the sprawling pine and gentle stream in the foreground of this work with details from a painting of Hvashang sold at Christie’s New York, 17 March 2021, lot 453. Similar to details from Yongle-style arhat paintings, the loose and colorful monastic robes that Bakula wears are in the Chinese style, and he is seated within a lush landscape, surrounded by blooming magnolia blossoms, curving pine boughs, and flowing streams. The sky is left unpainted, leaving the raw cloth to accentuate and frame the works by means of absence, rather than presence. The genre of Tibetan arhat paintings owes much to the secular tradition of landscape literati painting in China, and breaks from the earlier Tibetan compositional practice of Buddhist paintings, in which deities and other important figures are set within a regimented and prescribed hierarchy. In the tradition of Chinese literati paintings, nature and country life was seen as an escape from the intrigues of the court, a place where scholars could find the peace needed to write poetry, perform music, and develop ideas.
Reflected in the realistic rendering of the blossoming flowers behind the arhat’s head, the artist’s technique in depicting flora is also inspired by European realism popularized by Guiseppe Castiglione in the Qing court. These stylistic details may also relate to the works of Khazi Lhazo, a prominent artist from the Kham region of eastern Tibet active in the eighteenth century. Furthermore, the diagonal composition indicates that this painting was part of a set, with the arhat facing the direction of what would have been a central painting of the Buddha. Compare the overall composition and holistic style of the present painting with another imperially-commissioned arhat painting, possibly from the same set, offered at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2001, lot 163.
The present painting is signed in Chinese in a vertical cartouche at the lower left corner of the painting: “respectfully painted by the court-official Ding Guanpeng,” and was thus likely commissioned by the Qing imperial palace in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Ding Guanpeng was a noted Chinese court painter who was active from the later part of the Kangxi era (1661–1722) through to the Qianlong era (1735–96). At one point he studied oil painting under Giuseppe Castiglione, and he was noted for painting people and landscapes, as well as his knowledge of Tibetan painting. The style of the present painting differs slightly from the usual oeuvre of the artist’s work, and it is possible this painting was carried out in homage to the well-known eighteenth-century court painter.
The painting shows Bakula seated in a relaxed position atop a rocky outcropping; his left hand is held in a gesture of teaching, and his right hand cradles a brown mongoose copiously ejecting wish-fulfilling jewels from his mouth. The mongoose is a symbol for wealth, signifying that he will bestow the material requisites for anyone seeking to follow the Buddhist path. To the right of Bakula, a diminutive figure dressed in Chinese scholar's robes and holding a ruyi scepter attends to his needs. The background of the painting illustrates three vignettes showing the life stories of Bakula. Attaining the spiritual goal of enlightenment late in his life, Bakula the Elder was one of Shakyamuni Buddha’s closest disciples. According to Mahayana traditions, the Buddha selected sixteen enlightened disciples from amongst his students and requested them to remain in the world after his passing, protecting the Buddhist teachings for as long as beings are capable of benefiting from them. The Sixteen Arhats vowed at the time of the Buddha’s enlightenment to remain in the world until the time of the future Buddha Maitreya. In later classifications of the Sixteen Arhats, Bakula is considered to be the ninth of the sixteen disciples.
The dominant imperial Buddhist style of painting of the eighteenth century was itself inspired by, among other things, the fifteenth-century arhat painting tradition of the Yongle period. Compare the sprawling pine and gentle stream in the foreground of this work with details from a painting of Hvashang sold at Christie’s New York, 17 March 2021, lot 453. Similar to details from Yongle-style arhat paintings, the loose and colorful monastic robes that Bakula wears are in the Chinese style, and he is seated within a lush landscape, surrounded by blooming magnolia blossoms, curving pine boughs, and flowing streams. The sky is left unpainted, leaving the raw cloth to accentuate and frame the works by means of absence, rather than presence. The genre of Tibetan arhat paintings owes much to the secular tradition of landscape literati painting in China, and breaks from the earlier Tibetan compositional practice of Buddhist paintings, in which deities and other important figures are set within a regimented and prescribed hierarchy. In the tradition of Chinese literati paintings, nature and country life was seen as an escape from the intrigues of the court, a place where scholars could find the peace needed to write poetry, perform music, and develop ideas.
Reflected in the realistic rendering of the blossoming flowers behind the arhat’s head, the artist’s technique in depicting flora is also inspired by European realism popularized by Guiseppe Castiglione in the Qing court. These stylistic details may also relate to the works of Khazi Lhazo, a prominent artist from the Kham region of eastern Tibet active in the eighteenth century. Furthermore, the diagonal composition indicates that this painting was part of a set, with the arhat facing the direction of what would have been a central painting of the Buddha. Compare the overall composition and holistic style of the present painting with another imperially-commissioned arhat painting, possibly from the same set, offered at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2001, lot 163.