The Lohan cult flourished in the T'ang and Sung periods thanks to the influence of Hsuan-tsang's translation, and it was in response to this cult that painted portraits of Lohans appeared.
受到玄奘所譯經書的影響，唐宋時羅漢信仰日隆，既有膜拜的信徒，圖像的繪制也應運而生。