L​e​n​g​ ​M​e​i​ ​L​i​n​e​ ​D​r​a​w​i​n​g​s​ ​o​f​ ​A​r​h​a​t​s

Arhat imagery in Chinese Buddhism carries meanings related to protecting the true Dharma, serving as fields of merit for offerings, and meditative cultivation. Systems such as the Sixteen Arhats and Eighteen Arhats circulated widely in temple murals, hanging scrolls, albums, and woodblock prints. Leng Mei was a court painter during the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods of the Qing dynasty, renowned for meticulous and refined figure painting, and capable of incorporating Chinese and Western painting techniques to shape facial features and garment folds. This work, titled “Leng Mei Line Drawings of Arhats,” primarily uses ink lines to depict the arhats’ appearances, garment pleats, seats, ritual objects, and mountainous surroundings. Although it does not excel through coloration, it more readily allows observation of line organization, facial expressions, and the courtly expression of Buddhist-themed painting in the Qing dynasty.