Lohan and Tiger, 17th century, 3 3/8 x 3 3/8 x 2 in. ( x x cm) (including stone base), Soapstone, China, 17th century, Appropriate to a scholar's study, this small, finely carved soapstone figure most likely represents Da mo or Bodhidarma, chief patriarch of the Buddhist religion. His basic doctrine was that perfection must be achieved through inward meditations of the heart rather than in outward deeds and observances. According to legend, he traveled from India to China in the sixth century and founded the Chan sect of Buddhism. He is shown here sitting at ease on a rockwork

---

Size: 4570px × 4565px
Location:
Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 17th, achieved, base, basic, beard, black, bodhidarma, buddhism, buddhist, carved, century, chan, chief, china, connote, curly, da, deeds, depicted, doctrine, ease, emerges, features, figure, finely, folds, foreign, founded, head, heart, holding, india, indian, large, legend, lohan, meditations, mo, mustache, observances, origins, outward, patriarch, perfection, reclining, religion, represents, robe, rockwork, ru, scepter, scholar, sect, shown, sitting, sixth, small, soapstone, stone, stroking, study, tiger, traveled, yi