Head of a Luohan

10th - 12th century

Lohans, or Arhats in Sanskrit, were followers of Buddha who had attained enlightenment and were leading an ascetic mountain-dwelling existence. The austere religious piety of these Buddhist monks inspired numerous artistic expressions in portraiture using different media. Dry lacquer-a technique in which multiple layers of lacquer-soaked hemp were laid over a wooden or clay core to achieve the form-was used to produce the sensitive facial modeling of this young Lohan, clearly based on a real individual.

Dry lacquer and glass

10 1/4 x 6 x 7 in. (26.04 x 15.24 x 17.78 cm)

Overall h.: 17 3/4 in.

Overall w.: 6 1/4 in.

Overall diam.: 8 in.

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

40.20

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Timeless Grandeur: Art from China, Apr. 25, 2002 - June 12, 2005.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective, Dec. 22, 2007 - July 26, 2009.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.

Published ReferencesWaugh, Daniel C. "The Arts of China in Seattle." The Silk Road, vol. 12 (2014): pp. 137-152, reproduced p. 151, fig. 32.

Foong, Ping, Xiaojin Wu, and Darielle Mason. "An Asian Art Museum Transformed." Orientations vol. 51, no. 3 (May/June 2020): p. 58, reproduced fig. 18 (installation view).

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