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Why this Buddhist Monk statue defies traditional depictions of religious figures

"It looks like someone you might know, someone you might talk to."

"It looks like someone you might know, someone you might talk to."

Curator Denise Leidy on a life-size sculpture of an arhat (or luohan, as they are known in China).

Throughout 2013, The Met invited curators from across the Museum to each talk about one artwork that changed the way they see the world.

Photography by Bruce J. Schwarz

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Contributors

Denise Patry Leidy
Curator, Department of Asian Art

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Arhat (Luohan), Stoneware with three-color glaze, China
China
ca. 1000