This highly imaginative series of paintings depicts the eighteen Buddhist lohans with heavily distorted features in almost cartoon-like imagery. The artist, Leng Mei, was an exceptional figure painter and leading court artist during the Kangxi (1662-1723) and early Qianlong (1736-95) reigns. He was capable of an extremely fine outline style (baimiao) and technically brilliant colored figures which display western-style modeling in facial features and shadows. Leng also invested his work with a great deal of humor and he was an accomplished animal painter, as well. In this scroll, Leng's extraordinary fantasy beasts, the lohan's vehicles and sidekicks, take on a nightmarish charm that is humorous, robust, and original. In this regard, Leng exhibits a familiarity with the baimiao style of eccentric figural artists like Ding Yunpeng (1547-ca. 1621) and Wu Bin (ca. 1568-1626).

The work is signed, "Respectfully offered in the inner court, Leng Mei." According to the title slip, the painting was done for a leading connoisseur and Beijing political figure, Mr. Su Qinxhue (1631-1694).