The Sixteen Luohans

Attributed to Chen Xian Chinese

spurious date of 1634

Not on view

Chen Xian was a Buddhist monk who painted mostly religious figures. In the chaos that accompanied the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644, many Buddhist monks left China for Japan, and some brought paintings by Chen, which found favor. For this reason, he is better known in Japan than in his native country. This album is not as accomplished as his best works—the shading of the faces is somewhat muddy—so it is likely a close copy, possibly by a Japanese admirer.

Artwork Details

明/清（傳）陳賢十六羅漢像冊
Title: The Sixteen Luohans
Artist: Attributed to Chen Xian (Chinese, active ca. 1634–77)
Period: Ming (1368–1644) or Qing dynasty (1644–1911); or Japan, Edo period (1603–1868)
Date: spurious date of 1634
Culture: China or Japan
Medium: Album of sixteen paintings; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: 10 1/8 x 11 7/8 in. (25.7 x 30.2 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Eugene Vidal, 1959
Object Number: 59.81
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Amitabha, the Buddha of the Western Pure Land (Sukhavati), Distemper with gold on cloth, Central Tibet — Amitabha, the Buddha of the Western Pure Land (Sukhavati)
Central Tibet
ca. 1700

Landscapes with poems, Gong Xian Chinese, Fifteen leaves from an album (1980.516.2a–c and 1981.4.1a–o) of eighteen leaves, China — Landscapes with poems
Gong Xian
1688

Streams and Mountains without End, Wang Yuanqi Chinese, Handscroll; ink on paper, China — Streams and Mountains without End
Wang Yuanqi
ca. 1710

The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Three: Ji'nan to Mount Tai, Wang Hui and assistants Chinese, Handscroll; ink and color on silk, China — The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Three: Ji'nan to Mount Tai
Wang Hui
datable to 1698

Illustrated Six-Character Poems of the Tang Dynasty, one volume of Eight Kinds of Painting Manuals (vol. 1); Illustrated Poems of Plants and Flowers, one volume of Eight Kinds of Painting Manuals (vol. 2), Cai Chonghuan Chinese, Two volumes of woodblock-printed books; ink on paper, China — Illustrated Six-Character Poems of the Tang Dynasty, one volume of Eight Kinds of Painting Manuals (vol. 1); Illustrated Poems of Plants and Flowers, one volume of Eight Kinds of Painting Manuals (vol. 2)
Cai Chonghuan
dated 1621, first edition

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.