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The paintings of Lohans’ Supernatural Water Crossing, called the Supernatural type for short, was one of the most popular motifs in the visual culture of the Ming and Qing periods. It displays lohans riding on such fabulous vehicles as dragons, Suannis (the ancient name of lion), turtles, carps, floating rafts, or mats. Even though there are a substantial number of literature records and extant works of this type, the issues concerning the images and the basis of Buddhist literatures have yet to be discussed.
Chapter one of this thesis will first distinguish the Natural and the Supernatural types in iconography, additionally review three issues in painting history and Buddhist literatures of the Supernatural type: First, the debate over the authenticity of works attributed to Wang Wei. Second, diversion on the attribution of famous painters from Tang to Ming. Third, possibility of Longwang qingzhai (the vegetarian diet invitation of the Dragon King) that the Supernatural type rests on.
In Chapter two, the first half of this embarks upon the accounts of eminent monks’ biography and anecdotes. Then, I analyze the association between lohans and few images of the Supernatural type; for one of the typical examples here is Bodhidharma crossing the river on a reed. The second half of this chapter elaborates on Daoist immortals’ biographical accounts in relation to vehicles; Yi xi zuo zhuo (riding on a mat) or Xia mo ling xu (riding on a toad) for instance, of lohans’ water crossing.
Chapter three is divided into three parts: the function of praying for longevity of lohan paintings, the longevous implication of the Supernatural type, and the association with the Supernatural type and longevous themes such as the Eight Immortals crossing the sea in Ming dynasty. Thereby the discussion establishes a connection with the Supernatural type and longevous culture. | en_US |