Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

A TIBETAN BRONZE FIGURE OF TSONGKHAPA
18TH/19TH CENTURY

1.4kg, 17.5cm.

From an English private collection, acquired prior to 2000 and thence by descent.

Seated upon a rectangular plinth, his hands held at his chest in dharmachakra mudra, with his shoulders flanked by a pair of leafy lotus stems supporting a book and a sword, dressed in voluminous robes and a pointed cap, his face with a serene, downcast expression.

Tsongkhapa (1357–1419) was a revered Tibetan religious philosopher and a key figure in the Gelugpa sect, which governed Tibet until the mid-20th century. According to tradition, he is considered an emanation of the Bodhisattva Manjushri. The attributes held by the blossoms at his shoulder, the flaming sword that dispels ignorance and the book of wisdom are also associated with Manjushri.