Arahat Monk - Tang Dynasty, bronze statue on double lotus flower.
Buddhist bonze made in the pure Tang tradition, all aimed at extreme realism especially of the face which becomes almost the only protagonist of the work.
During the Tang Dynasty, this wonderful art of portrait flourished which seems to rival the portraiture of Roman busts and coins. The face, often wasted by abstinence, the kind eyes lost in contemplation, the details of the mantle, the folds, the decorations, make these portraits one of the most beautiful things produced by oriental art.
In the Museum since 1929. From Henan.
