Page 69 - Important Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Hong Kong

An Early Gilt-Bronze Figure of Luohan

摩訶妙心 — 早期鎏金銅羅漢像

Luohan, also known as Arhats or ‘Destroyers of the Passions’, vary in numbers fig. 1 A gilt-bronze figure of a Luohan, sold at
between 16 and 108 and were depicted in Chinese art from the Tang dynasty
onwards. As Buddha’s apostles, Luohan were first mentioned as sixteen Arhats Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 October 1991, lot 1668 (one of two)
in the Mahayanavataraka which was translated into Chinese in AD 437. A full 圖一 鎏金銅羅漢坐像，香港佳士得，1991 年 10 月 1 日，
transcript of these sixteen names was given in AD 653 by the pilgrim monk 拍品 1668 號（兩尊之一）
Xuan Zang with the additional two that were probably adopted by the end
of the 10th century, these being the Arhats who tamed the Dragon and the
Tiger representing Eastern and Western directions respectively.

There are very few surviving examples of gilt-bronze figures of Luohan dating
to the Song and Yuan dynasties, making the present figure exceptionally rare
and important. Only a few closely related examples have been published.
The superb casting and style of this figure is very similar to that of two
other gilt-bronze figures of Luohan dated to the Song dynasty and sold at
Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 October 1991, lot 1668. One of these figures is
that of an older man, while the other is a younger man (fig. 1). It is the
latter figure which is the most similar to the present Luohan. Another related
figure is illustrated by Hajek, Chinesische Kunst in Tschechoslowakischen Museen,
Prague, 1954, no. 115. The author, p. 43, notes the similarity between this
and ceramic and wood sculptures of the period. All of these figures share a
similarity in the fluid execution of the drapery and the naturalism of the facial
features (almost portrait-like). It is possible that all of these figures may have
come from the same set.

These sculptures are found in other media, for example, Wenwu 1994:3,
pp. 76-82 records the discovery at the Lingyan Temple, Changqing Xian,
Shandong province, of some forty clay figures of Luohan, most of which
were dated to the Song period, but of smaller size. In their animated gestures,
quality of portraiture and the treatment of the fluid folds of drapery at the
front they bear resemblance to the present figure.

羅漢，是阿羅漢的簡稱，音自巴厘語 arahant，梵語 arhat。據唐代玄奘
所譯慶友尊者及其弟子所著《大阿羅漢難提密多羅所說法住記》記述，
有十六羅漢於佛滅之後宣揚無上正法，超渡眾人。直至人壽七萬歲時，
無上正法消失，眾羅漢建七寶塔，供奉釋迦牟尼佛一切遺物，繞塔禮贊
後，同時進入涅槃。世間供養羅漢，可使諸施主，得勝果報。

本羅漢坐像造工精湛細膩，形態端莊雋秀，氣度超然不凡。存世的宋元
鎏金銅羅漢像為數極少，故本坐像極具藝術及學術價值，珍罕非常。
同類例子寥寥無幾，只見香港佳士得 1991 年 10 月 1 日拍賣的兩尊鎏金
銅羅漢坐像（拍品 1668 號），定年宋代，一尊者為長者，另一尊者相
貌年輕（圖一），眉清目秀，與本羅漢造形最為接近，只法印不同。
另一相似例記載於 Hajek 著，1954 年布拉格出版《Chinesische Kunst in
Tschechoslowakischen Museen》，圖版 115 號。上述例子無論尺寸或風
格均與本羅漢非常相似，有可能本屬同一系列。

山東濟南靈巖寺千佛殿內供奉著四十尊彩繪泥塑羅漢造像，大部分成於
宋代，造形各異，但風格、表達手法及形態均與本羅漢相近，應是同一
時期的作品。千佛殿內四十尊羅漢皆列坐長形磚砌壇座上，從中可得知
本羅漢原來的擺設也應該大同小異。

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