Vietnamese Bronze Seated Arhat

This is a bronze sculpture of an Arhat. Seated in lotus posture, the Arhat holds his both hands in front of his chest. He has a bald or shaved head, with a middle-aged facial appearance. Wearing a simple long sanghati, his facial expression is serene and contemplative. His hand gesture is hidden by his sleeves. Arhats are the historical disciples of the Buddha. As with the passage of time Buddhist tradition developed, and especially in and among the East Asian Buddhist countries, the original number of Arhats was characterised by a propensity to increase, and at least the most important of them were regarded almost as bodhisattvas or fully enlightened beings, with a wide range of supernatural powers. According to the standard Buddhist tradition, groups of 16, 18 or 500 luohans awaited the arrival of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, and such groups were very often re-created in various mediums in East Asian Buddhist art. This sculpture has an assuring physical presence due to its considerable mass. – (RL.1002)