明清／日本江戶時代 (傳) 陳賢 十六羅漢圖 冊|The Sixteen Luohans

Chen Xian

spurious date of 1634 · Album of sixteen paintings; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

Chen Xian was a Buddhist monk who painted mostly religious figures. In the chaos that accompanied the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644, many Buddhist monks left China for Japan, and some brought paintings by Chen, which found favor. For this reason, he is better known in Japan than in his native country. This album is not as accomplished as his best works—the shading of the faces is somewhat muddy—so it is likely a close copy, possibly by a Japanese admirer.

Artist

Chen Xian

Date

spurious date of 1634

Medium

Album of sixteen paintings; ink and color on paper

Culture

China or Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Eugene Vidal, 1959