Page 152 - Christie's Hong Kong Important Chinese Works Of Art May 30 2022

of luohan in the Lingyan Temple in Shandong dated to 1066. Their
lifelike features and distinctive characters are the hallmarks of the
naturalistic style of Song sculptures. Very few Song Dynasty bronze
examples of luohan remain, the most notable being the four examples
in the Xiangguo Temple in Kaifeng (fig. 2). They were allegedly part
of a set of Five Hundred Luohan, all destroyed in 1927 apart from these
four, which also show a naturalistic and unadorned style.

In the Yuan and Ming periods, Tibetan Buddhism became the adopted
religion for the Imperial families. Although luohan worship exists
within Tibetan Buddhism, it did not appear until after 15th century,
when the Kashmiri scholar Sakya Rishi translated the text Offerings
to the Sixteen Arhats. This text differs from Nandimitravadana in its
accounts of the Sixteen Arhats: 1. The order of the arhats is different;
2. Two of the arhats’ names are different, namely: Nakula (Chinese)
versus Bakula (Tibetan); Subinda (Chinese) versus Abhedya (Tibetan).
Furthermore, in the Offerings, the appearances of the arhats are noted
in detail. For example, Bakula is described to be holding a shrew
in his hands; Rahula is described to be holding a crown etc. These
fig. 2 Bronze Arhat, Northern Song dynasty. attributes were not seen in Chinese depictions of luohan prior to the
Xiangguo Temple, Kaifeng
圖二 北宋鑄銅羅漢像，開封相國寺 15th century. Currently there are no sculptures of the Sixteen Luohan
that can be accurately dated to the Yuan period, but from paintings
dated to the turn of 13th/14th century, it appears that the images of
luohan follow closely the Chinese tradition of previous periods and
were not influenced by 15th century Tibetan scripture.
organized four large-scale ceremonies of luohan worship every year Images of luohan from the early Ming imperial court look significantly
to commemorate them. When Su Shi was demoted and banished to different. Two examples of early Ming gilt bronze luohan were sold by
Hainan Island, he remembered his grandfather’s story, and visited a Christie’s Hong Kong, one on 24 October, 1993, lot 524 (fig. 3); the
local luohan temple to pay his respects. He offered his calligraphy to other on 30 October, 1994, lot 390 (fig. 4). The ’93 luohan holds a
the temple and also composed four poems in praise of luohan. Later, shrew in his left hand, and very clearly depicts Bakula as described in
he acquired a painting of the Eighteen Luohan by Zhang Xuan of the Tibetan texts. The ’94 figure holds two gold earrings, and matches
Five Dynasties, and sent it as a gift to his brother Su Che. There are a the description of Kalika in the text. These two figures and another
wide range of subjects for which people offer their prayers to luohan one of Gopaka (holding a book in his hand), in the collection of
in the Song Dynasty: prayers concerning the weather (rain); health, Victoria & Albert Museum, most likely came from the same set, and
longevity; success in examination and officialdom; and prayers for the are inscribed with the characters dong di yi (first on the east), xi di si
dead – almost every aspect of one’s life was touched by the worship (fourth on the west) and dong di qi (seventh on the east) respectively,
of luohan. probably indicating their positions when displayed in the temple. The
iconography of these three figures follow closely the descriptions in
The translation of Nandimitravadana heralded the start of luohan image Tibetan texts, and differ in style from the naturalistic and dynamic
making, but the scripture did not provide any description of their modelling of earlier examples with their regal, composed and restrained
appearances or characteristics, resulting in very free and diverse styles manner. Similarly, the current pair of luohan are also inscribed with
full of creativity. The starting point for the luohan imagery is normally the characters zuo si (left four) and you si (right four), probably
a senior, virtuous monk with either an Indian or a Chinese appearance. indicating their positions. The casting style compares very well to
There are two distinctive types: those following painter Guan Xiu, early Ming imperial figures, and they probably were holding attributes
also called ‘Chanyue Style’ (Chanyue is Guan Xiu’s sobriquet), in their hands originally, which would have helped to identify them.
are painted with caricatured, archaic, Indian-inspired appearances; Notably, the way the folds of the fabric is depicted on the Indian-
those following painter Li Gonglin, also called ‘Longmian Style’ style robe, with rhythmic diagonal lines and a triangular-shaped fold
(Li Gonglin resides in Mt. Longmian), are more naturalistic and around the collar, can also be seen on Yongle period gilt bronze figures
depicted in a lifelike setting. These two styles and their variations, of Buddha. This pair of luohan is cast in similar style to the gilt bronze
incorporating the descriptions given in Su Shi’s poems, became the luohan in the Tsz Shan Monastery Budhdist Art Museum (fig. 5),
basis for luohan imagery from Northern Song onwards, and is one purchased from Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3233).
of the most important genres in Chinese Buddhist art. The most These luohan figures were probably made around the same period for
celebrated Song sculptures of luohan are the Eighteen Luohan found an important imperial Tibetan Buddhist monastery, and are rare and
in Chongqing Temple in Shaanxi dated to 1079, and the 27 figures important examples of this genre.

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