South China, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) / late 1200s
Seated Arhat with Two Attendants
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Seated Arhat with Two Attendants as painting (South China, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) · late 1200s).
The arhat holds a rolled up scroll, likely a sutra, and is seated before a standing screen decorated with a landscape painting.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk.
The museum's collection notes: Arhat, or Lohan (羅漢 in Chinese), were the disciples of the historical Buddha. Later tradition tended to picture them in sets of 16, 18, or as many as 500. This is one painting from a larger set, with a seated arhat portrayed on a grand scale, overshadowing his own attendant as well as the ferocious figure who approaches him with an offering of a peacock.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtSeated Arhat with Two AttendantsOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.