Top of page

Book/Printed Material Wu bai luo han tu 五百羅漢圖

About this Item

Title

  • Wu bai luo han tu

Other Title

  • 五百羅漢圖

Translated Title

  • Portraits of 500 Arhats

Summary

  • Wu bai Luohan tu (Portraits of 500 arhats), written and inscribed by Emperor Gaozong (1711-99), reign title Qianlong (reigned 1736-96), was originally a painting by Wang Fangyue. Wang Fangyue, born in Wuxi, Jiangsu, was a court painter during Emperor Qianlong's reign, and excelled in figure and landscape painting. An arhat is someone who has reached true enlightenment (nirvana). The entire painting is divided into ten sections, each section assigned in order with one of the names of the ten heavenly stems (days in a calendrical cycle). Each painting is followed by a text. At the front is a preface, which briefly describes how Emperor Qianlong supervised the entire process, from the beginning to the end, of the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats on Longevity Hill in Beijing. It also explains the characteristics of the 500 arhats, who positioned themselves in the woods, at streams, and in the pavilions, on terraces and towers, instead of being placed side by side in rows. Some of the arhats are in motion and others are still. Their expressions are all different, and they are lifelike. A stone carving was made in the 22nd year (1757) of the Qianlong reign. The stone tablet was originally placed in the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats on Longevity Hill in the Garden of Clear Ripples, located in present-day Haidian District, but it has long been lost. This copy is a first-generation rubbing, in intermittent dark and light shades of black ink. The rubbing is of high quality and between the Chinese characters there is clear spacing, thus highlighting the nuances. The rubbing is framed with yellow brocade and is elaborately mounted and wrapped. This rubbing is very rare and is a fine art treasure.

Names

  • Qianlong, Emperor of China, 1711-1799 Author
  • Wang, Fangyue, active 1757 Artist

Created / Published

  • [Place of publication not identified] : [Publisher not identified], 1757.

Headings

  • -  China--Beijing
  • -  1757
  • -  Buddhism
  • -  Buddhist art
  • -  Buddhist temples
  • -  Chinese literature
  • -  Inscriptions, Chinese
  • -  Mahayana Buddhism
  • -  Robes
  • -  Rubbing -- China

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 scroll : rubbing ; 39 x 1820 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of China.
  • -  Content in Chinese.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
  • -  Title revised per Asian Division.--cc28 2023-01-06

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666523

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Qianlong, Emperor Of China, Author, and Fangyue Wang. Wu Bai Luo Han Tu. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, 1757] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666523/.

APA citation style:

Qianlong, E. O. C. & Wang, F. (1757) Wu Bai Luo Han Tu. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666523/.

MLA citation style:

Qianlong, Emperor Of China, Author, and Fangyue Wang. Wu Bai Luo Han Tu. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, 1757] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666523/>.