2-734-305 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Lohan Holding a Peach; Lohan Holding a Fu Dog, 1662-1722. These two lohans, disciples of Buddha with supernatural powers, were perhaps part of a house altar set or a decorative item in a household. Lohans, also known as arhats, are said to be able to tame tigers and tread on water. Here they are shown as monklike figures, one holding the peach of immortality, the other a f u -dog. The lohan with a bald head wears a monk’s robe made of patches. These two figures embody a humorous attitude and playful behavior, indifference to danger and miracles, and hence a detachment from worldly affairs. During the 1600s, porcelain sculptures decorated in famille verte overglaze enamel colours were produced for the domestic as well as export market to Europe.