宋至元 木雕羅漢坐像

depicted seated with head bowed and hidden hands clasped beneath the folds of his sleeves, his narrow shoulders dressed in a simple robe opening at the chest and draped over folded legs covering the edge of his seat, the face of the luohan exquisitely carved with a meditative expression, rendered with large hooded eyes beneath a pronounced brow and strong jawline, the fleshy face framed by a fabric headdress with the ends of his pendulous earlobes peeking out, with two large rectangular openings in the back, wood stand

紐約佳士得1997年9月18日，編號297

The figure is overall in unusually good sculptural condition for its age. As visible in the catalogue photo, there is bruising with minor losses to the front edge of the headdress. There are other minor bruises and dents all over. There are typical expected age cracks. As expected there are rectangular apertures to the reverse of the figure where it would have originally have been consecrated. There is evidence of restoration where the lower drapery meets the legs, suggesting that both pieces have been consolidated at the fragile area where they meet together, but there do not appear to be many losses and the figure is in good stable condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Early wood carved figures of luohan were placed in attendance of the Buddha in temples in sets usually comprising eighteen figures. Ming dynasty examples are relatively commonplace in museum and private collections, but it is rare to find earlier examples. The closest related example sold at auction is a slightly larger Song dynasty lacquered wood figure, sold at Christie’s New York, 22nd March 1999, lot 163.

For a Northern Song dynasty dry lacquer figure of a luohan of closely related modelling and seated position, in the Honolulu Academy of Arts, dated to 1100, see Saburo Matsubara, Chungoku Bukkyo Chokukushi Ron (The Path of Chinese Buddhist Sculpture), Tokyo, 1995, pp. 832-3.

Sculptures of luohan from organic materials were less durable and probably more costly to produce than those from ceramic. Examples of Song-Yuan ceramic luohan are found in a range of size, the largest and most famous being the celebrated group of large ceramic luohans removed from caves northwest of Yixian, Hebei province, to the east of Longmen, Henan province, in 1912. They are particularly notable for the size, quality of modelling and particularly their highly individualist faces. These are now housed in various Western museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and are discussed by D. Leidy and D. Strahan in Wisdom Embodied: Chinese Buddhist and Daoist Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2010, pp. 112-16, nos. 23a and 23b. The current wood figure would no doubt have originally been part of a sensational set, where each luohan was individually carved with his own distinct characteristics.