Page 48 - Bonhams, Roger Keverne Moving on Part 1 May 11, 2021 London

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A RARE LARGE POLYCHROMED LIMESTONE FIGURE OF A
LUOHAN
9th/10th century
Subtly carved standing forward with his gaze downcast in a serene
expression, the rounded face set with narrowed eyes below the high
arched eyebrows, with the elegantly-carved nose above the tightly-
closed mouth and well-defined chin, the bald and smooth head with
full cheeks and elongated ears, the right hand in varada mudra, the
left in abhaya mudra, clad in flowing robes over his shoulders and
cascading in arched waves below the chest, the bare feet protruding
below the robes, the disciple raised on a circular dais.
94cm (37in) high. (2).
£30,000 - 50,000
CNY270,000 - 450,000

Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價

九/十世紀 石雕彩繪羅漢像

Provenance: an American private collection
Sotheby’s New York, 11-12 September 2012, lot 115

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer
Exhibition, London, 2013, no.93

來源：美國私人舊藏
紐約蘇富比，2012年9月11-12日，拍品編號115

展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2013年，
編號93

Luohan, also known as ‘Arhats’ or ‘Destroyers of the Passions’, vary in See a similar statue of Ananda, Tang dynasty, illustrated by O.Siren,
numbers between 16 and 108 and were depicted in Chinese art from Annales du Musée Guimet, Bibliothèque d’Art, Nouvelle Série I, La
the Tang dynasty onwards. As Buddha’s apostles, Luohan were first Sculpture Chinoise de Ve au XIVe Siècle, Tome III, Paris, 1926, pl.374,
mentioned as sixteen Arhats in the Mahayanavataraka, an Indian text which was later sold at Bonhams London, 17 May 2012, lot 101.
translated into Chinese during the fifth century. A full transcript of these
sixteen names was given in 653 by the pilgrim monk Xuan Zang, with Compare also with a similar sandstone figure of a Luohan, Tang
the addition of two which were probably adopted by the end of the dynasty, identified as Sravaka, in the Museum of Far Eastern
10th century, respectively, the Arhats who tamed the Dragon and the Antiquities, Stockholm (fig.1), illustrated in Zhong guo lin shi hai wai fo
Tiger, representing the Eastern and Western directions. jiao zao xiang zhong he tu mu, vol.6, Beijing, 2005, p.1137. However,
it seems more likely that the present figure is a representation of
The present figure may be identified as Ananda, the primary attendant Buddha’s disciple Ananda, who (together with Kasyapa) is often
of the Buddha and one of his ten principal disciples. Among the portrayed flanking Buddha.
Buddha’s many disciples, Ananda had the best memory, and most
of the texts of the early Buddhist Sutta-Piṭaka are attributed to his See a similar painted stone figure of a Buddhist disciple, Tang dynasty
recollection of the Buddha’s teachings during the First Buddhist dated 718, which was sold at Bonhams London, 8 November 2012,
Council. lot 231.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
46 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.