Page 147 - Chinese works of art and paintings, March 19 Bonhams

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Figures of luohan rose in popularity during the Song dynasty, due to The present lot, clearly belongs to the second group. With his shaven
divisions within Buddhism that lead to the establishment of different head and elongated earlobes, he is clearly a monk, but his refined
schools. The luohan being direct disciples of the Buddha, formed facial features, elegant posture, with long-sleeved robe and pointed
a connection between the patriarchs of the different schools and shoes more closely resemble figures of scholar’s popular during the
the Buddha, by allowing the patriarchs to claim descent through a Ming dynasty such as the type illustrated in Rose Kerr, Later Chinese
lineage leading back to these original disciples. Bronzes, London, 1990, nos. 64-65. Traces of stucco on the surface
of the present figure indicate that it would have been painted at one
Depictions of luohans fall into two groups. The first group are time.
depicted with clearly what Chinese artists considered Indian features,
such as bushy beards, curly hair, big eyes beneath prominent brows An example of similar date and size is illustrated in Rene-Yvon
and large noses. The second group more closely resemble Chinese Lefebvre d’Argence (ed.), Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Sculpture :
scholars, except that they have shaved heads and wear monks’ The Avery Brundage Collection, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco,
robes. New York, 1974, no. 150. A Northern Song dynasty example is
illustrated in Angela Falco-Howard, et. al., Chinese Sculpture, New
Haven, 2006, fig. 4.38.

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