Item: Shakyamuni Buddha - with Sixteen Elders (Arhats)

Shakyamuni Buddha and the Sixteen Elders, the central composition from a set of seven paintings.

At the center of the composition is Shakyamuni Buddha. At the two sides of the Buddha stand the two principal disciples, Shariputra on the Buddha's right and Maudgalyayana on the left. They both stand and hold a kakkara staff in the right hand and a black beginning bowl in the left.

At the top center is Amitabha Buddha, red in colour, with the the hands folded in a meditation gesture. At the top left is Angaja. On the right is Bakula. The remaining fourteen arhats are divided between the other six compositions.

Along the bottom of the painting are four protector deities. Starting at the bottom left is Shadbhuja Mahakala, followed by yellow Vaishravana Riding a Lion, Shri Devi Magzor Gyalmo riding a mule and Yama Dharmaraja with a buffalo head and standing atop a buffalo.

Jeff Watt 7-2013