Yixian Luohan: The British Museum

One of the famous group of life-sized glazed stoneware figures from the caves of Yixian (near Beijing). These Three-Color (三彩) Luohans (Liao Dynasty, 10th–11th Century) are renowned for their incredible realism and serene, meditative expressions.

Liang Sicheng (1901-72), the celebrated Chinese architect, once remarked that the Yixian Luohans, with their realistic anatomy and finely detailed robes, stand as masterpieces comparable to those of the Italian Renaissance (14th-16th Century).

Originally a set of sixteen (estimated), with approximately ten surviving today (including fragments). They are held in global museum collections across the USA, France, the UK, Canada, and Russia.

Yixian Luohan: The British Museum © Frank JIANG