A TIBETAN GILT-COPPER SCULPTURE OF TSONGKHAPA

18TH/19TH CENTURY

Tsongkhapa sits in dhyanasana on a double lotus throne, his hands are at his chest in dharmachakra mudra. He wears voluminous monk's robes and a distinctive yellow hat, his attributes are a book and a sword and are placed on lotus flowers at his shoulders, 13.5cm, 500g.

Provenance: a London collection from 2004.

Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), the great religious teacher and founder of the Gelugpa School of Tibetan Buddhism, is believed to be an incarnation of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom.