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

manuscript painting showing a man with a halo in a blue dress with monks in brown habits in the background and to the right the figure of a man with a halo sleeping and a concealed figure holding a blue dress
A roundtable discussion explores gender presentation, the history of fashion, and mockery in medieval depictions of Saint Jerome.
Nancy Thebaut, Jesse Darling, Ayla Lepine, and Clovis Maillet
March 24
A blonde, angel looking downwards with a green wing coming out of its back. The angel is draped in a white and red robe.
Explore the biography of the famed Renaissance artist through a selection of extraordinary works.
Caroline Elenowitz-Hess
March 23
Gold-background scene showing two male figures, one with wings, in an embrace, framed by red and blue decorative borders.
Spectrum of Desire co-curators Melanie Holcomb and Nancy Thebaut discuss sensuality and sexuality in Medieval art.
Lina Palazzo
March 18
More in:82nd and Fifth: Art ExplainedReligion & Spirituality

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