元 佚名 第六羅漢跋陀羅圖 軸|Bhadra, The Sixth Luohan

Unidentified artist

dated 1345 · Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk · Asian Art

Luohans (arhats, in Sanskrit) or "worthy ones" are disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha to whom he entrusted the guardianship of the Buddhist law. In China these enlightened beings became the focus of popular veneration and were typically shown in groups of sixteen, eighteen, or five hundred. This painting of the sixth luohan, one of twelve that survive from a set of eighteen, is typical of the Chinese treatment of this subject. Inspired by the powerful portraits of individual luohans created by the monk-artist Guanxiu (832–912), the figure is dressed like a monk but given exotic facial features to emphasize his non-Chinese origins. Shown as dwelling in the wilderness, his appearance of spiritual authority is enhanced by his frequent companion, a tiger, which is also the Chinese cosmological symbol of the West.

Artist

Unidentified artist

Date

dated 1345

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

From the Collection of A. W. Bahr, Purchase, Fletcher Fund, 1947