An Unusual Gilt Bronze Figure of a Kagyu Lama

TIBET, 16TH/17TH CENTURY

Details

An Unusual Gilt Bronze Figure of a Kagyu Lama
Tibet, 16th/17th Century
Seated in dhyanasana on a double-lotus base holding a kalasa topped by a miniature figure of Amitayus and lotus stalks rising to his shoulders, supporting diminutive figures and the attributes of a sword and book, wearing voluminous monastic robes and a cape, his face with a benign expression painted in cold gilding, surmounted by his pointed hat draped with a scarf, the base with a frieze of vajras around the rim and an attached triad of Acala and Vajrapani, the based sealed
11½ in. (29.2 cm.) high

Lot Essay

The inclusion of several talismans such as the long-life vase, the vajra frieze around the base, and the miniature protector deities in front of the base, indicate that this bronze was commissioned during the monk's lifetime to protect him from harm.

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