Portrait of an arhat
Japan, Kamakura period, 13th century
Lacquered wood, pigment, and gold
32 x 28 1/2 x 25 in. (81.28 x 72.39 x 63.5 cm)
The Roberta Coke Camp Fund and Lillian B. Clark, 1991.381

This compelling figure of a monk contemplating a lotus flower is a representation of an arhat (in Japanese, rakan), one of a group of holy men who were originally disciples of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. Arhats were regarded as having achieved extraordinary spiritual levels but, like bodhisattvas, have put off their own enlightenment to help others.

Usually appearing in painted or sculptural groups—from as few as four, sixteen, or eighteen, to as many as five hundred or one thousand the—arhats were depicted with portraitlike fidelity as monks and ascetics. Although lists that identify each arhat exist, the descriptions are too vague to allow precise identifications of individual figures.

This arhat sits casually with the left leg folded under and the right knee raised. The face is that of a mature man, beardless, and the head is shaven. The realism and individuality of the face are accomplished through the generous modeling of facial features. The same fullness and generosity of carving characterizes the treatment of the robe that covers his shoulders and legs.