Companion statues: Kashyapa and Ananda
The Companion Statues on display at the
The Aged Luohan (Kashyapa)
The older figure represents the luohan
The Luohan is life-sized and made of marble, sculpted during a time when statues of that size in marble were very rare. It bears a clear resemblance to the younger luohan in size, dress, and medium. The figure is thinner than the younger one, his rib cage being clearly visible beneath his robes. The statue was purchased in good condition, and only the hands needed to be restored.
The piece was acquired in October 1993 from the Christie's Hong Kong Chinese works of art sale. The statue was noticed only three days before the auction, and permission to bid for the Luohan was obtained by a unanimous agreement by the department. The purchase was possible because of the Levy Bequest of 1990.
The Younger Luohan (Ananda)
The younger Luohan is
The statue is on an oval socle carved with lotus petals. There is evidence that the socle was broken off from a lower base at one time and reattached with cement to a different base of an inverted lotus atop a square plinth. There are traces of light green pigment in crevices under the robe and skirt, consistent with Tang and Tang-style paintings. In a photo from the 1920s, the robe still has large patches of what is most likely the original surface. They show designs of lotus, chrysanthemums and a vine pattern. Unfortunately, poor cleaning has left few traces of the original pattern.
The statue was acquired in 1922 for $750 Canadian dollars. It was paid to the Chinese in Mexican silver, due to the lack of trust the Chinese had for paper money. The statue originates from a temple at Yang Ku Hsien (Yangqu Xian, near Taiyuan). This statue has appeared at Expo 67 in Montreal and the Nara National Museum exhibition "Sources of Japanese Buddhist Art" in 1978 before coming to its permanent home at the museum. It is regarded as the ROM's finest Chinese Buddhist sculptures.
References
- Dohrenwend, Doris (October 1994). "Mr Levy and the Luohan: How Two Tang Marbles Were Reunited in Toronto". Orientations. 25 (10): 76.