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A NEW SPRING OF SPIRITUALITYHuang ChunheResearcher at Capital Museum, BeijingEach era within Tibetan art history has its own distinctive zeitgeist. During the Qing dynasty, Tibetan Buddhist art integrated previous artistic traditions into a new style which became highly realistic and influential. The gilt-bronze figure of 3rd Dalai Lama is a paragon of such inimitable style.The spiritual aura radiating from the figure is rendered dynamically by the skillful craftsmanship. The bronze body is covered in remarkably thick gilding with its base securely sealed and finely carved with an impressive double-vajra. His facial expression conveys tenderness and serenity that allow the viewers to immerse themselves in its contemplative presence.The inscription on the back of the lotus base confirms the identity of this figure to be 3rd Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso(1543-1588), who was born in the twenty-second year of the Jiajing Period (1543). He entered the Drepung Monastery at the age of four and received the Shramanera precepts when he was seven. Three years later he was appointed as the 12th Tripa of Drepung and became the 13th Tripa ofSera Monastery. In May 1578, he met Altan Khan in Qinghai province and became the first person to be bestowed with the title ‘Dalai Lama’. In the ensuing 34 years, he travelled around Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan to spread Buddhist teaching and arrived in Guihua (nowadays Hohhot) in 1586 to presideover the funeral of Altan Khan. As one of the most important figures in spreading Buddhism to Mongolia, he organised the construction of the Thegchen Chonkhor Monastery and taught Buddhism in Eastern Mongolia in 1587 thus converting more Mongol tribes. In 1587 he was invited to visit the Ming emperor but fell ill and died on his way to Beijing. He devoted his life to the promotion of the Gelugpa school andmediating relationships between the Han, Manchu, Tibetan and Mongols, which contributed greatly to the peace among regions and became a role model for future Dalai Lamas.The present figure is very similar in terms of material, size, style, and details, to a gilt-bronze figure of the 4th Dala Lama, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 December 2015, lot2914 (fig. 1), and to a gilt-bronze figure of Guanyin and a gilt-bronze figure of Yamaraja sold at Beijing Poly in Autumn 2015, and it is most likely that they belong to the same set. They share four prominent characteristics: 1) balanced proportion of the body 2) graceful lines with a strong sense of movement 3) pursuit of realism 4) sumptuous use of thematerial. The refreshing naturalism of the figures bears a striking resemblance and epitomises the forming of a new trend during the Qing dynasty. Figures of similar style can be found in Tibetan temples, museum collections and private collections worldwide, such as a gilt-bronze figure of Vajravarahi in the collection of the Potala Palace (fig. 2); a bronze figure of Vajrabhairava in the collection of Norbulingka;and a gilt-bronze figure of Sadaksari in the Capital Museum, Beijing (fig. 3); and a gilt-bronze figure of Kurukulla in the Palace Museum, Beijing (fig. 4). In addition, there are many other unpublished examples, especially in Tibetan temples and museums, as well as in museums outside Tibet, such as the Beijing Palace Museum, and the Capital Museum, the former holding more than 400 figures of this type, which were presented to the Qing court by high-ranking lamas or nobles. The Qing imperial archives and the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing provide crucial clues to the dating and origin of the current figure. Yellow labels written with the phrase ‘Tashi Lengma’ are attached to some of the Buddhist figures in the Palace Museum, as certificates of authentication by Changkya Rolpe Dorje, the principle Buddhist teacher at the Qing court. ‘Tashi Lengma’, literally means ‘Bronze of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery’, and this kind of label is found attached on the aforementioned bronze figure of Vajravarahi in the Capital Museum (fig. 5). The mention of the ‘Tashi Lengma’ bronze figures first appears in the Qing imperial archives in the 9th year of the Yongzheng period (1731): “On the twenty-second day of the fifth month of the ninth year of Yongzheng, Zhang Yuzhu presented a figure of Buddha from Tibet as a ‘Tashi Lengma’ tribute from the Panchen Lama. The emperor ordered a shrine for it, asked for a draft of the shrine, then to have it placed in the tower within the Buddhist Chamber.” Therefore, given the similarity between the current figure and the Capital Museum example, it can be concluded that the current bronze figure was also made in the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, and as early as the ninth year of the Yongzheng peiod. The style of the ‘Tashi Lengma’ figures is the New Miantang style mentioned in various Tibetan literary sources, which deeply influenced the subsequent development of Buddhist art in the entire Tibetan region.According to Tibetan literary sources, the New Miantang style was developed by Choyong Gyatso (active c. 16-17th century), a monk of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. His talent was recognised by his contemporary the 4th Panchen Lama (1567-1662), who invited him to lead many major painting and sculptural projects. In the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, he created numerous frescos, thangkas and sculptures, including the twelve thangkas variously depicting the Buddha Sakyamuni, Sixteen Arhats, the legend of Maitreya’s teaching, the legend of Tsongkhapa and others. in 1647. Stories of his artistic creation is recorded in the biography of 4th Panchen Lama. The biography of the 5th Panchen Lama alsomentions several of his other achievements, most notably the painting of the fresco at the Potala Palace. The Tashi Lhunpo Monastery has preserved a thangka of the 4th Panchen Lama painted realistically by Choyong Gyatso (fig. 6). It is precisely such kind of truthful portrayal that has inspired the realistic style perpetuated throughout the Tibetan Buddhist figures of the Qing dynasty, as evidenced by the current figure.
A RARE INSCRIBED GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF THE THIRD DALAI LAMA, SONAM GYATSO
QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY
Details
A RARE INSCRIBED GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF THE THIRD DALAI LAMA, SONAM GYATSO
QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY
The Dalai Lama is seated on a double-lotus base with scrolled petal tips and beaded rims, his hands held in vitarka mudra, with his right hand resting on his knee. He is dressed in heavy robes with foliate-incised hems, his face has a serene expression with a steady gaze. The base is sealed and incised with a double-vajra.
10 3/8 in. (26.4 cm.) high
QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY
The Dalai Lama is seated on a double-lotus base with scrolled petal tips and beaded rims, his hands held in vitarka mudra, with his right hand resting on his knee. He is dressed in heavy robes with foliate-incised hems, his face has a serene expression with a steady gaze. The base is sealed and incised with a double-vajra.
10 3/8 in. (26.4 cm.) high
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Priscilla Kong