Seated luohan holding a fan

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In 1757, the Qianlong emperor visited the Shengyin Monastery in Hangzhou and saw a set of sixteen luohan paintings attributed to Guanxiu (832–912), a monk-artist renowned for his eccentric depictions of Buddhist adepts. The emperor fell in love with the paintings and commissioned responses in various media, including jade carvings like this one. The figure’s posture and feather fan suggest the luohan Gopaka

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