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Bronze Collection Eighteen Luohan Disciples, 18th-19th Century

About the Item

An extremely rare bronze collection of the eighteen (Archats) Luohan Disciples as adorned in Chinese Buddhist culture. The figures are exceptionally well made and represent the Luohan in their respective powers and these are generally presented in the order they are said to have appeared to Guan Xiu: Dear Sitting, Happy, Raided Bowl, Riased Pagoda, Meditating, Oversea, Elephant Riding, Laughing Lion, Open Heart, Raised Hand, Thinking, Scratched Ear, Calico Bag, Plantain, Long Eyebrow, Doorman, Taming Dragon and Taming Tiger. Each of the bronze figures is representative of these titles and each has a seal mark and double character signature mark or combination of the two. It has been suggested that the set is 'Imperial' and made for the emperors court although have been unable to verify this. However the Qianlong Emperor was a great admirer of the Luohans and examined them closely. The figures are in excellent condition with a wonderful age patina. The word Luohan originates from the Sanskrit word Archat and are an important part of Chinese culture. Similar to the Christian Saints they are persons who have cultivated a high level of spirituality and are charged with protecting the Buddhist faith. On entering the main hall of a Buddhist temple in China you will see two rows of figures, one to the east side and the other to the west side. The figures are aligned in a labelled and numbered and organized way and as a collective group are known as the Eighteen Luohan, the disciples of Gautama Buddha. Originally there were only 10 disciples and these can be traced back to the 4th century, later the number increased to 16 including patriarchs and spiritual experts. Two further Luohans were added somewhere between the Tang Dynasty and early Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Asian, probably Chinese, signed and with impressed seal marks.

Dimensions:

Height: 3.35 in (8.5 cm)Width: 2.56 in (6.5 cm)Depth: 1.48 in (3.75 cm)

Sold As:

Set of 18

Materials and Techniques:

Bronze

Place of Origin:

China

Period:

Late 18th Century

Date of Manufacture:

18th-19th Century