The Luohans were initially believed to be the enlightened disciples of the historical Buddha, who had been entrusted with the task of preserving the Buddhist Law after the Master's disappearance and until the future Maitreya Buddha came.
In China these characters are very popular, also by virtue of the assonance with the figures of the Taoist immortals of the Chinese tradition, and who are usually venerated in groups of 16, 18 or 500 luohan.
The theme depicted here is that of the 18 luohan who cross the sea aboard a boat with an imaginative shape that echoes the equally famous theme of the 8 Taoist immortals who cross the sea on their way to the banquet of the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu).
Buddhist and Taoist symbols combine in an eclectic way, typical of Chinese popular tradition. The luohans are depicted as Buddhist monks, with a shaved head and monastic robe. A luohan is on the back of a mule, like Zhang Guolao, one of the 8 immortals of Taoism.
The group is surrounded by numerous Taoist symbols, some related to longevity, such as the crane and the pine tree. The shape of the boat recalls a dragon, the characteristic mount of the Taoist immortals.
In the Museum since 1997. It comes from Beijing.
