明/清 佚名 羅漢圖 冊|Luohans

Unidentified

17th–18th century · Album of eighteen leaves; ink and color on bodhi tree leaves · Asian Art

The Buddha achieved enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, India, in the fifth century BC, beneath a tree with large, spade-shaped leaves. This tree, a type of ficus, became revered by Buddhists as the sacred Tree of Enlightenment (bodhi tree) and was propagated by believers throughout Asia. In China, painters used leaves of the bodhi tree to create albums like this, which invest the ground of the image with an extra layer of sacred power by connecting it to the Buddha’s awakening. With bright, thickly applied mineral pigments, this album shows the luohans exercising their magical powers.

Artist

Unidentified

Date

17th–18th century

Medium

Album of eighteen leaves; ink and color on bodhi tree leaves

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1912