A SET OF FOUR REPUBLIC PORCELAIN PANELS OF EIGHTEEN ARHATS W...

Hammer

£1,800

A SET OF FOUR REPUBLIC PORCELAIN PANELS OF EIGHTEEN ARHATS WITH IRON-RED SEAL MARK
EARLY 20TH CENTURY 
民国 十八罗汉挂屏一组 
The Eighteen Arhats (or Luohan) are depicted in Chinese Buddhism as the original followers of Gautama Buddha (arhat) who have followed the Noble Eightfold Path and attained the four stages of enlightenment. They have reached the state of Nirvana and are free of worldly cravings. They are charged to protect the Buddhist faith and to wait on earth for the coming of Maitreya, an enlightened Buddha prophesied to arrive on earth many millennia after Gautama Buddha's death (parinirvana).

In the Chinese tradition, the Eighteen Luohans are generally presented in the order they are said to have appeared to Guan Xiu, not according to their power: Deer Sitting, Happy, Raised Bowl, Raised 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.

55cm x 40cm