A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A LUOHAN
VARIOUS PROPERTIES
A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A LUOHAN

17TH/18TH CENTURY

Details
A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A LUOHAN
17TH/18TH CENTURY
Standing on a waisted lotus base with eyes closed in contemplation and hands held together in prayer, wearing loosely draped robes tied at the shoulder with a tassled cord, with long, pleated sleeves hanging low off the arms, the hems of the robes incised with floral scroll beside the beaded edge
11¾ in. (29.8 cm.) high, box

Lot Essay

Luohans, also known as arhats, are enlightened Buddhist beings who act as worldly conduits to the state of infinitely expanded consciousness granted by their enlightenment. Images of luohans probably originated in Kashmir, and were first mentioned in the Mahayanavataraka, which was translated into Chinese in AD 437; their names were later identified by the early Tang pilgrim monk Xuanzang in AD 654. Numbers vary in Buddhist tradition, but a group of eighteen was eventually established as the standard Chinese grouping which became popular in later Chinese art, appearing in a wide variety of medium.

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