A gilt bronze figure of a Lama

MONGOLIA, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A gilt bronze figure of a Lama
Mongolia, 18th century
Heavily cast seated on a double-lotus base with his right hand held before his chest in vitarka mudra, his left held in his lap in the gesture of meditation, his face with slight smile and eyes closed, flanked by long ears and surmounted by a broad mitre-style hat, wearing voluminous robes incised with cloudband and foliate patterns, the base sealed with a copper plate and incised with a visvavajra
14½ in. (36.8 cm.) high

Lot Essay

Though the identity of this figure is not specified, the style of his headdress suggests that this may be a portrait of a Panchen lama. Compare, for example, a figure of the first Panchen Lama illustrated in Anna Maria and Fabio Rossi, Treasures from Mongolia: Buddhist Sculpture from the School of Zanibazar, London, 2005, no. 14.

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