Where can I see 明/清佚名羅漢圖冊|Luohans?

明/清佚名羅漢圖冊|Luohans is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is 明/清佚名羅漢圖冊|Luohans?

明/清佚名羅漢圖冊|Luohans is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

明/清佚名羅漢圖冊|Luohans

明/清佚名羅漢圖冊|Luohans is an ink painting. It dates from 1699 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This album features eighteen small paintings depicting Buddhist figures on dried bodhi leaves.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The visual program emphasizes the ideal of enlightenment, with the arhat’s serene expression and modest posture embodying compassion and wisdom.

The album Luohans, created in 1699 by an unidentified hand, presents a series of ink and colored leaf paintings on bodhi‑tree leaves that portray Buddhist arhats. Each figure is rendered as a man clothed in simple robes, seated in meditation, holding a staff or a begging bowl, attributes that signal renunciation and spiritual authority. The visual program emphasizes the ideal of enlightenment, with the arhat’s serene expression and modest posture embodying compassion and wisdom.

By arranging eighteen such portraits, the work invites contemplation of the path to liberation within the Mahayana tradition, using the natural medium of leaf to suggest the transience of worldly existence.

Technique & Style

The work is presented as an album consisting of eighteen leaves, each painted with ink and polychrome pigments on sheets of bodhi‑tree leaf, making the leaf itself the support. This method situates the piece within the broader tradition of painted albums, where the medium combines drawing and color application on an unconventional substrate. The painting is categorized as a religious work and portrays a male figure, reflecting its devotional subject matter.

The composition follows conventional iconography of Luohan imagery, though specific stylistic details are not documented in the available records.

History & Provenance

The work known as Luohans is an album of eighteen leaves painted in ink and color on bodhi tree leaves during the late Ming–Qing period, dated 1699. It was created by an unidentified artist and belongs to the religious genre, depicting a man. The album entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on display.

Its dimensions are 31.8 cm in height and 19.1 cm in width. The dating and provenance are documented in museum records and catalog entries.

The album of eighteen leaves titled Luohans, dated to 1699, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is classified as a painting and is attributed to an unidentified artist. While specific inventory or accession numbers are not provided in the available records, the museum lists the object with dimensions of 31.8 cm in height and 19.1 cm in width.

The album consists of ink and color applied on bodhi tree leaves and depicts religious figures. No specific exhibition history or past display records are cited in the provided sources.

Overview

This album features eighteen small paintings depicting Buddhist figures on dried bodhi leaves. Created by an anonymous artist during the Ming or Qing dynasty, the work presents luohans, revered saints who chose to remain in the world to assist others. Each leaf portrays a robed man with a shaved head, typically in a quiet, contemplative posture, rendered with meticulous detail using ink and color.