Item: Arhat/Sthavira (Buddhist Elder) - 16 Elders: Nagasena

Nagasena, Sthavira/arhat: from a set of sixteen arhat figures.

Shakyamuni Buddha is always the central figure in arhat sets of paintings or sculpture. The full group of arhats always has twenty-five figures: the Buddha Shakyamuni, together with the two foremost disciples - Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, the sixteen Sthavira/arhats, the attendant Dharmata, the patron Hvashang and the Four Guardians of the Directions; Vaishravana, Virupaksha, Dhritarashtra and Virudhaka. With regard to painting, in all, an extensive set of paintings would comprise twenty-three individual paintings. The two foremost disciples are almost always portrayed in the same painted composition with Buddha Shakyamuni. However, in sculptural sets the total number of pieces is twenty-five with the two foremost disciples counted individually. It is worth noting that in the Himalayan and Tibetan iconographic and artistic systems there are only sixteen arhats. In the Chinese systems they count the two attendant figures of Dharmata and Hvashang as additional arhats.

Twenty-five Figures: 1. Shakyamuni Buddha 2. Shariputra 3. Maudgalyayana 4-19. Sixteen Great Arhats 20. Dharmata 21. Hvashang 22-25. Four Guardian Kings

Jeff Watt 2-2014