An exceptionally rare gilt-painted and inscribed jade book of sixteen luohan, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 青玉陰刻描金十六羅漢贊玉冊

A French private collection, by repute.

Sotheby's New York, 22nd September 2004, lot 53.

傳法國私人收藏

紐約蘇富比2004年9月22日，編號53

During the Qianlong period, the making of jade books entered an era of unprecedented development. This was due to the Emperor’s initiative and interest and to the sudden increase in the supply of raw material.

This rare set of jade tablets follows the tradition of luohan imagery derived from the Five Dynasties monk-painter Guanxiu (832-912), whose unique depictions of the sixteen luohan as ascetic old men with foreign features occupy the foremost position in the development of luohan iconography in China. A particular fashion and prestige for jade books of this type depicting the sixteen luohan in the style of Guanxiu, seems to have occurred under the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, who personally sought to preserve Guanxiu’s images and provide greater accessibility to them by commissioning the engraving of Guanxiu’s sixteen luohan onto stone tablets and ordering copies to be set up in eighteen provinces.

In a related jade book in the Chester Beatty Library that is partially illustrated in William Watson, Chinese Jade Books in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, 1963, pls 6-7 and that appears to be the only jade book of this type in a public collection, the portraits of the sixteen luohan and accompanying inscriptions closely resemble the stone tablets commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor, suggesting that it may have been produced in the imperial jade workshops. The five-clawed dragon detailing to the damask lining of the album may support its imperial origins.

A preliminary reading of the images may indicate the following order of identification of the luohan images: Cula-panthaka, Ajita, Vanavasi, Rahula, Nagasena, Panthaka, Subinda, Vajraputra, Nakula, Angaja, Kalika, Pindola-bharadvaja, Kanaka-paridhvaja, Kanaka-vatsa, Jivaka, and Bhadra. It is also interesting to note that the iconography of the sixteen luohan, more popular in the 16th and 17th century, is clearly distinct from that of the eighteen luohan, which became more popular in the late Qing dynasty. Various elements in the present book, such as the single-horned bull, pagoda, and demon attendants, are also seen on a 17th century scroll after Ding Yunpeng, exhibited in Unveil Arhats - Encounter the Arhats, Broaden your Mind, Taipei, 2003, pp. 70-87.

See a closely related Qianlong period jade book of the sixteen luohan, formerly from the collection of Cornelius J. Hauck, sold in these rooms, 8th April 2007, lot 605. Compare also a Qing dynasty set of sixteen gilt-lacquered wood luohan figures, sold in these rooms, 27th March 2003, lot 16.