Seven of the Sixteen Luohan

Description:

China, Qing dynasty
Je 118 x 50,8 cm
Ink Rubbings after Paintings by Guan Xiu (832-912). 7 Hanging scrolls, ink on paper. In 1757 the Qianlong emperor (r. 1735-1796) visited the Shengyin monastery near Hangzhou, where he discovered the pictures of the Sixteen Luohan by the Chan master Guanxiu. He composed poems for every picture and corrected the Chinese transcription of the Sanscrit names as well as the order of numeration. In 1764 these pictures together with the Qianlong poems and inscriptions were cut in stone and numerous rubbings were made of them. These seven rubbings derive from that set of original sixteen. On the painting with the original number 4 (the Qianlong emperor altered it to number 16) the poem and long inscription of the emperor can be seen on the upper left, the inscription of the abbot Mingshui of the monastery who had the stones cut is on the lower right. The seven rubbings depict the following Luohan with their original numbers and Chinese names: 2) Jianuojia Facuo, 3) Bintoulu Poluoduoshi, 4) Nantimiduo Luoqingyou, 6) Danmeiluo Batuo, 8) Fashenafuduo, 13) Yinjietuo, 16) Zhutu Bantuojia. The original stones in Hangzhou were destroyed in the Taiping revolution (1850-1864) but numerous copies had been made including these ones.
South German private collection, assembled prior 2007
Very minor damages due to age, wear