Polychrome soapstone buddha. 4 inches long by 2 1/4 inches wide by 5 3/4 inches high.Well carved showing good detail. The Eighteen Luohan (Skt arhats: ‘enlightened ones’) make up another group of popular characters. Although provided with various attributes, like the Daoist immortals, luohan are often difficult to identify individually. They are typically shown seated cross-legged with one leg slightly raised, wearing long, flowing robes, the folds of which are carved in simple yet forceful lines. One example is carved on the base in clerical script (lishu) with the signature of Wei Rufen. On such figures of the late Ming and early Qing the borders of garments are decorated with delicately incised floral patterns or other designs. The details are often gilt, and the lips are coloured red. Sometimes figures are inlaid with pearls, gems or precious stones or with coloured glass. Other deities are easily recognized. Shou Lao (the god of longevity), with his abnormally high and slightly bulging head, is usually portrayed smiling benevolently through his long beard; his attributes customarily include a staff and a deer or a crane symbolizing longevity. Soapstone figures were also made for export, and a few were carved in styles based on European models. In the case of an 18th-century figure of a youth with a dog (h. 165 mm; Howard and Ayers, pl. 689), the carver was copying a Western model, as revealed by the classical dress with jacket and long cape and the youth’s curly hair, but the Chinese origin is evident in the treatment of the eyes, which are typically East Asian.