Monks in Glaze: Patronage, Kiln, Origin, and Iconography of the Yixian Luohans

Monks in Glaze is a complete reassessment of the famous group of large glazed ceramic sculptures known as the Yixian Luohans. Drawing upon hitherto-unknown epigraphic documents, Hsu proposes a new date for the group’s production and identifies the kiln center near Beijing as its birthplace. Delving into the social and economic issues of religious patronage, imperial workshop practice, and nuanced style of post-Yuan Buddhist art, Hsu convincingly shows that such a large group of masterworks were products of the commercial economy of the Ming dynasty.