TIBET, 15TH/16TH CENTURY

Chogyal Pagpa, the nephew of Sakya Pandita, helped to establish Sakya as a center of scholarly activity in 13th century Tibet. He sponsored the translation of poetry, literature, and metrics, using the power of his position to further his uncle's scholarly and cultural projects. Pagpa is credited with having developed the theory of Buddhist rulership that delineated mutually dependent spheres of secular and religious authority.

Compare with an earlier bronze figure of Chogyal Pagpa depicted in dharmachakramudra (D. Dinwiddle, Portraits of the Masters: Bronze Sculptures of the Tibetan Buddhist Lineage, 2003, pp.246-247, fig.64).

Inscription on the verso of this image reads: Homage to Chogyal Pagpa!