Je Tsongkhapa

4

Mongolia, 18th century

Gilt bronze

7 in. (45 cm.)

HAR no. 8037

Provenance:

From the collection of JF Chen.

Acquired in NY in the 1970's.

Tsongkhapa, also known as Je Rinpoche, was born in the Amdo region of Tibet in 1357. He was a highly respected Buddhist scholar and is credited as being the founder of the Gelug Buddhist sect, known as the “Yellow Hat” sect, one of the most powerful and widespread in the Buddhist religion. Revered as an incarnation of the bodhisattva Manjushri, he was reported to have seen and conversed with the deity from a young age.

Compare this powerful piece with a related gilt-bronze figure of Tsongkhapa, 18th century, illustrated in B. Lipton and N.D. Ragnubs, Treasures of Tibetan Art: Collections of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, p. 70, no. 22.