Yixian Luohan
易县三彩罗汉
A life-size glazed-ceramic luohan from a set of about sixteen discovered in 1912 in caves near Yixian, Hebei. He sits cross-legged in meditation, his hands holding a sutra, his face modelled with the unsparing realism of an actual portrait — likely of a senior Liao monk.
Object Facts
- Period
- Liao dynasty (907–1125)
- Date
- 907–1125
- Medium
- Stoneware with sancai three-color glaze
- Dimensions
- H. 103 cm
- Held by
- The British Museum
London, United Kingdom - Accession
- 1913,1221.1
The British Museum — purchased 1913
Why it matters
The Yixian luohans are technical and artistic miracles: life-size figures fired whole at sancai temperatures, modelled with portrait-level individuation. They redefined what 11th-century Chinese ceramic sculpture could do.
How it travelled
Of the Yixian set, ten survive in Western museums (BM, Met, Penn, Boston, Paris, Berlin, Toronto, Kansas City, Sezon, and one private). They were stripped from their cave temple in 1912 and exported through Beijing dealer Friedrich Perzyński in 1913.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see Yixian Luohan?+
Yixian Luohan is held by the The British Museum in London, United Kingdom. Accession number 1913,1221.1. Online catalogue record: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1913-1221-1.
When was Yixian Luohan created?+
Yixian Luohan dates to 907–1125, during the Liao dynasty (907–1125).
What is Yixian Luohan made of?+
Yixian Luohan is a life-size sculpture executed in stoneware with sancai three-color glaze, measuring H. 103 cm.
How did Yixian Luohan end up at the British Museum?+
Of the Yixian set, ten survive in Western museums (BM, Met, Penn, Boston, Paris, Berlin, Toronto, Kansas City, Sezon, and one private). They were stripped from their cave temple in 1912 and exported through Beijing dealer Friedrich Perzyński in 1913.
Can I reuse the photograph of Yixian Luohan?+
Yes, with conditions. The image is licensed CC BY-SA: free to share and adapt with attribution to the British Museum, and any derivative works must use the same licence.
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