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I bought this group of paintings while in S. Carolina. Woman who sold them to me stated they came from the estate of a prominent Tiffany jewelry maker.

The colors are a bit more vibrant than what appears in the photo, but not overly bright.

At first look, I thought maybe early Qing dynasty, Kangxi, but now I suspect late Qing to early Republic. Rendering seems to be good and reminds me of Famille Verte porcelain figures seen in the late 19th c.

My Chinese friends seem a bit puzzled in offering a translation....they have suggested it is a copy of a famous verse from a temple, but they don't seem to be able to offer anything more specific.

I'm interested in knowing what it says, and if a famous verse, where the origin of the verse comes from.

Artist name and period made would be much appreciated, too.

Thanks as always!

thought i posted this earlier but it hasn't shown up: this group of luohans is painted by a Buddhist adherent using the pen name Xinchi 心持. the inscriptions claim it is painted in the style of Tang monk/painter Guanxiu, check wikipedia for the details on him and luohan pictures. The figures are not in Guanxiu's style, what we know of it anyway, the coloring is applied with a precision that makes me wonder whether you have a painting or a printed reproduction, as the handwriting and drawing of the figures isn't very inspiring despite its attention to detail. Also the format seems weird: looks like these were cut up from a longer single handscroll but for the fact that there are inscriptions on each piece, which would not occur with a handscroll. you have not given picture sizes so it's not possible to tell whether these are meant as album leaves. Perhaps an anonymous handscroll that was cut down, then inscriptions added later and resold. agree that it's more likely relatively recent/late Qing, not early Qing

Great info - thanks. 100% sure these are paintings on silk. I'm posting a close up...not my best photo, but I'm traveling and the paintings are at home.
The paintings are fairly small, about 10" x 12",
Maybe they are part of an album - I have not removed them from the frames to inspect. Perhaps that would explain the illustrative quality of the rendering.

good closeup, thank you. the brushwork is dully uniform, so these pictures wouldn't be seen as desirable on Chinese aesthetic grounds, but the illustration is competent and the application of color is quite precise. Mounting and silk seem low quality. Likely pre-1911

Thanks, again. I see what you mean with regards to the stiffness of the brushwork, but the subject matter was what attracted me most.

Also, while I can't read Chinese, whenever I see extensive writing done with good control, I generally am more accepting of any weaknesses in the artistry.

My reasoning might be flawed, but it is based on the premise that the painting might have been done by a poet/philosopher, rather than a professional painter, and therefor have more value as a literary piece, rather than an artistic rendering.

This brings me to my original question....what does it say? Is it an original verse or simply a reiteration of famous Buddhist verse from times past?

Thanks!

This was done by a Buddhist with some skill with a brush, but neither the painting nor calligraphy quality (in terms of brushwork) is very high. The painter was doing this primarily as a work of devotion I think. The inscription is not in verse. It is original to the work and says the lohan are done in the style of Guanxiu, whose "original" works are in a Chinese temple etc etc: it goes on to state some of the same facts you can find with an online search of "Guanxiu luohan". It's not meant as a literary work.

Okay...now I understand. Thanks.

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