The Sixteen Luohans

Wu Bin’s Buddhist holy men have unconventional, sometimes strange appearances. Their outward forms conceal spiritual achievement. The museum connects such figures with hopes of miraculous salvation during late-Ming instability. This is among his earliest surviving dated works.

A white-robed figure sits inside a hollow tree. The unusual shelter differs from conventional courtly or scholarly settings.

Another bald figure in white stands opposite. The encounter uses individual poses and appearances.

Twisting branches loop around the seated figure. The extraordinary tree continues the figures’ unconventional character.

A greenish rock rises behind the standing figure. Heavy angular volumes create an extraordinary natural setting.

Pale ground projects over an unpainted area. The confined terrain holds one encounter within the long scroll.

The eccentric holy man could possess spiritual qualities outside ordinary social expectations. In late Ming culture such figures belonged to religious hopes of miraculous salvation.