Property from a European private collection (lots 226-250)






A Gilt copper alloy figure of Tsongkhapa


China, 19th centuryWearing a tall pandita hat, the Gelug teacher seated in padmasana on a double-lotus base, his hands in the teaching gesture before his torso, a pair of oversized lotuses supporting a book and a sword. 17cm (6 3/4in) high
|As the founder of the powerful Gelug-pa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, Je Tsongkhapa is an important figure in Himalayan art, where he can take five different forms, based on the visions of Kedrup Geleg Pal Zangpo.The present lot sees the Guru in his main, Pandita form, wearing a pointed hat and three robes - the two robes typical the Buddha form, and the sleeveless dress seen only in Tibetan monastic attire. He holds his hands in the gesture of teaching before his torso and sits in the Vajra position, in imitation of Shakyamuni Buddha, the book and a sword indicating a connection to Bodhisattva Manjushri.