A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF THE FIRST PANCHEN LAMA, LOBSANG CHOKYI GYALTSEN

TIBET, EARLY-MID 17TH CENTURY

TIBET, EARLY-MID 17TH CENTURY
A Tibetan inscription at the back of the cushion, translated: "Homage to this image of the omniscient master Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen Pal Zangpo, blessed by the hand of his reverence. Mangalam."
Himalayan Art Resources item no.13714
4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm) high

西藏 十七世紀初至中葉 銅鎏金一世班禪喇嘛羅桑確吉堅贊像

This heavily gilded bronze of the First Panchen Lama, Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen Pelzangpo (1567-1662) has an inscription stating it was blessed by the master himself and is still sealed. Depicting the First Panchen Lama as a confident man in his majority, we can infer that the sculpture was produced during the early-mid 17th century, well before he passed away in 1662 at the age of 95. While many Tibetan portrait sculptures are suspected to have been made during the lifetimes of their subjects, it is exceedingly rare to have evidence of a high lama consecrating images in his likeness, attesting to the significance of the present work.

The First Panchen Lama was an important religiopolitical leader in Tibet, remembered for his broad spiritual and diplomatic achievements. By the age of 31 he was already an abbot of several major monasteries, including Tashilhunpo, Wensa, and Gangchen Chopel. He went on to establish the tantric college Tashilhunpo Gyupa Dratsang, and played a constructive role in Bhutanese-Tibetan affairs. Lobsang Chokyi was the tutor of the great Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682), who established the Panchen Lama ("Great Teacher") incarnate line, with its seat of power at Tashilhunpo Monastery. A closely related example of Lobsang Chokyi was sold at Bonhams, New York, 14 March 2017, lot 3294.

Provenance:
Douglas Bergeron, 1977
East Coast Collection, USA