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Sixth Dalai Lama
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Sixth Dalai Lama
CHINA; Qing dynasty (1644–1911); Gilt copper alloy; H: 21 cm; National Museum of China, Beijing
The figure was created around the 18th century. An inscription identifies the statue as Tsangyang Gyatso (reigned 1697–1706), which was the name of the Sixth Dalai Lama. He was an unusual holder of that title, and is remembered by later generations for his composition of love poetry.
The Dalai Lama wears a ritual hood and has large spirited eyes, red lips, and a mustache. The figure sits on a double-layered cushion and wears a monastic robe carved in smooth realistic folds. The left hand holds a vase while the right hand is raised in vitarka (teaching) mudra with an eight-petaled lotus visible on the palm. The stem of a long-stalked flower curls up to the shoulder, its shape and color resembles the peonies commonly seen in the Tibetan highlands. |
