Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) / 1235
Arhat
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Arhat as painting (Korea, Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) · 1235).
This painting that depicts an arhat , a human being who has achieved enlightenment, used to be part of a set of 500 hanging scrolls.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as Hanging scroll; ink and slight color on silk.
The museum's collection notes: An arhat (Nahan in Korean), an advanced disciple of the Buddha, is represented here in profile with a halo encircling his head. This particular arhat is Segongyang jonja, numbered as the 464th of 500 arhats. He sits on a woven bamboo stool, is luring a dragon into an alms bowl. This hanging scroll is one of only about ten known works that survive today, all of which (except for Cleveland’s piece) are currently preserved in Korea or Japan.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtArhatOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.