An ancient picture
This picture, the main one of three set out in the end of Room 33 of the British Museum , is considered to be one of the most important treasures of the entire collection of ancient Chinese art. The three pictures are of the Liao Dynasty and they follow the sculptural tradition of the Tang Dynasty. Experts date the works between the years of 907 and 1125. In fact, they were found with seven other sculptures in a cave in Hebei Province in northern China. Nowadays, all (except for one) are in Western museums.
The Chinese are known for preserving works of ancient art and giving a copy to the public as the original. Just go to China and visit museums and temples to see this. The Luohan were disciples of Buddha and it was believed they had magical powers and could be immortal in order to preserve the teachings of Buddha. In China, they are often displayed in groups of 16.