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Hello! I have a couple of paintings on silk. They are beautiful and very detailed. They are two scenes with various characters, the same in both paintings. There are also many elements and symbolisms. I would like to know if you can help me to know:
1- Who are the characters and what do the scenes and elements represent.
2- What is the approximate age of the paintings.
3- What estimated value could they have.
And any other information that you can contribute will be welcome. From now many thanks and greetings!
Diego.





Link :More Images

These would appear to be a pair of late 19th-early 20th century paintings that together show all 18 of what I believe are the 18 Chinese Luohans or Arhats who have reached the fourth stage of enlightenment. Among them shown are the "Tiger-Taming" and "Dragon-Taming" Luohans. However, each has their own individual attribute. See the wikipedia.org link below.

The six written characters above the red seals possibly read down as "Painted at Shanghai by Wang Zhenhai (Shang hai wang zhen hai hui - 上海王鎮海繪). However, Zhenhai is a district between Ningbo and Shanghai, so I hope I.Nagy or someone else may be able to tell us what the red seals say to help determine if another given name is involved.

My check of liveauctioneers.com found examples of 18 luohan scroll art selling for between US$750-US$8500, with the higher earnings going to finely done handscrolls.

Best regards,

Bill H.

URL Title :18 Luohans/Arhats

Bill H:
Thank you very much for your enriching answer! I sincerely appreciate your contributions, your dedication and generosity in sharing your knowledge.
I greet you respectfully.
Diego O.

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