The Eighteen Luohans

Ding Yunpeng

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the seventeenth century, Ding Yunpeng became famous for his fantastical depictions of luohans. This scroll bears a signature by Ding, but the figures’ facial shapes and the fluttering, gossamer-light brushwork suggest that it is a nineteenth-century copy. At the far left side of the scroll near the top, the artist finished the composition with an exquisitely-drawn dragon descending on clouds, about to be tamed by the seated luohan who opens his mouth to call the beast to heel.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art