A painting of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Sixteen arhats, West Tibet, circa 18th century

Private Collection

Christie's South Kensington, circa 1990s.

Shakyamuni Buddha sits at the center of this narrative-filled composition in his typical earth-touching gesture, holding an alms bowl, seated atop a lotus throne supported by two lions, emblematic of the Shakya clan into which he was born as a prince. He is flanked by his two closest disciples, Ananda and Mugdalyayana while the rest of the landscape beside and below is filled with scenes related to the sixteen arhats, each of which is inscribed with a Tibetan label, as well as the attendant to the arhats, Dharmatala.