SONG-JIN DYNASTY, 11TH-13TH CENTURY

Details

AN UNUSUAL WHITE STONE FIGURE OF A SLEEPING LUOHAN
SONG-JIN DYNASTY, 11TH-13TH CENTURY
The arhat is shown seated cross-legged, his body twisted to the right, on top of a waisted, rock pedestal, having fallen asleep with his head resting on the shoulder of his left arm which is supported on the branch of a tree trunk that rises from the back of the pedestal. The white stone has a dark patina.
13 ½ in. (34.3 cm.) high

Provenance

John P. Reeves (1909-1978) Esq, O.B.E., the British Consul of Macau, and thence by descent to the present owner.

Lot Essay

Images of luohan, the enlightened semi-historical followers of the Buddha, became exceedingly popular in China from the Tang period onwards. Because they were often depicted in groups of at least 16 (and sometimes over 100), artists began to imbue the different luohan with individualized or distinguishing characteristics. While the identity of the present figure isn't clear, the 'sleeping' or 'meditating' arhat was a known type from the Song dynasty. Compare with an example at the Museum Rietberg and illustrated by Osvald Sirén in Chinesiche Skulpturen, Museum Rietberg, Zurich, 1959, p. 155, no. 59.

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