Luohans

Bamboo Temple, Kunming, China

Other Luohans are portrayed less as real human beings and more as fairy-tale characters, often riding on fanciful animals. Notice also the exaggerated eyebrows of the figure at photo right, another traditional character (like the Long-arm of the previous page) in the Luohan iconography. The figures were created by modeling them in clay over a wooden armature. Many authors consider these to be the best set of Luohans in China, owing to the artist's skill in rendering such a delightful variety of characters.