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拍品專文
The inscription at the base of this sculpture identifies the figure as the Fifth Sharmapa, Konchok Yanglak: “Homage to the red hat holder Konchok Yanglak. Mangalam.” Born in 1525 in the Kongpo district, Konchok Yanglak was formally recognized and enthroned by the Eighth Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje (1507–1554) as the reincarnate holder of the red hat lineage. Having completed his studies by the age of twelve, his reputation for learning, discipline, and compassion became widely known. He later presided over the enthronement of the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje (1556–1603), serving also as his principal teacher, an indication of his central role in the spiritual and institutional authority of the Karma Kagyu tradition.
What sets the present work apart is not only its sensitive portrayal but also its exceptionally precious medium. Portraits cast in solid silver are among the rarest expressions of Tibetan sculpture. Silver, valued above gilt copper alloy for its material scarcity and its association with purity, was reserved for the most prestigious commissions, typically high-ranking hierarchs or works intended for major monastic institutions. The decision to cast Konchok Yanglak’s likeness in silver therefore highlights the exceptional reverence accorded to the Fifth Sharmapa and suggests that this sculpture was conceived as a highly important devotional commission.
Konchok Yanglak is identifiable across painted and sculptural depictions by his slender build, elongated oval face, and distinctive extended ears. In this silver portrait, he is shown seated in meditation atop a broad cushion, his left hand gently supporting a flaming jewel. A comparable example (HAR 65561), similarly depicts the Fifth Sharmapa holding a triratna, maintaining the iconographic conventions associated with his lineage portraits.
This sculpture belongs to a small but important group of silver cast Kagyu portraits. A sixteenth or seventeenth-century silver image of the Fifth Sharmapa in the Nyingjei Lam Collection shows that silver was selectively employed within Kagyu circles for depictions of their most eminent teachers. As Weldon and Casey note, nearly all known silver portrait sculptures are associated with the Kagyu order, indicating a deliberate and meaningful preference for this rare and costly medium (D. Weldon and J. C. Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet, pl. 49, p. 190). Another closely related silver figure of the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje (1554–1603), dated by inscription to 1598 (ibid., pl. 48), shares stylistic similarities with the present example and reflects a comparable level of devotional investment.
In addition to his spiritual and scholastic accomplishments, the Fifth Sharmapa played a significant role in artistic patronage. He supported temple building projects and commissioned sacred imagery, most notably sponsoring the artist Namkha Tashi, the founder of the Gardri painting school. The luxurious medium and meticulous craftsmanship of this silver portrait align with Konchok Yanglak’s own engagement with the arts and with the elevated regard in which he was held by his contemporaries.
What sets the present work apart is not only its sensitive portrayal but also its exceptionally precious medium. Portraits cast in solid silver are among the rarest expressions of Tibetan sculpture. Silver, valued above gilt copper alloy for its material scarcity and its association with purity, was reserved for the most prestigious commissions, typically high-ranking hierarchs or works intended for major monastic institutions. The decision to cast Konchok Yanglak’s likeness in silver therefore highlights the exceptional reverence accorded to the Fifth Sharmapa and suggests that this sculpture was conceived as a highly important devotional commission.
Konchok Yanglak is identifiable across painted and sculptural depictions by his slender build, elongated oval face, and distinctive extended ears. In this silver portrait, he is shown seated in meditation atop a broad cushion, his left hand gently supporting a flaming jewel. A comparable example (HAR 65561), similarly depicts the Fifth Sharmapa holding a triratna, maintaining the iconographic conventions associated with his lineage portraits.
This sculpture belongs to a small but important group of silver cast Kagyu portraits. A sixteenth or seventeenth-century silver image of the Fifth Sharmapa in the Nyingjei Lam Collection shows that silver was selectively employed within Kagyu circles for depictions of their most eminent teachers. As Weldon and Casey note, nearly all known silver portrait sculptures are associated with the Kagyu order, indicating a deliberate and meaningful preference for this rare and costly medium (D. Weldon and J. C. Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet, pl. 49, p. 190). Another closely related silver figure of the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje (1554–1603), dated by inscription to 1598 (ibid., pl. 48), shares stylistic similarities with the present example and reflects a comparable level of devotional investment.
In addition to his spiritual and scholastic accomplishments, the Fifth Sharmapa played a significant role in artistic patronage. He supported temple building projects and commissioned sacred imagery, most notably sponsoring the artist Namkha Tashi, the founder of the Gardri painting school. The luxurious medium and meticulous craftsmanship of this silver portrait align with Konchok Yanglak’s own engagement with the arts and with the elevated regard in which he was held by his contemporaries.