Sacred Arts of Tibet (.pdf) - Asian Art Museum | Education

Slide 9
Sacred Arts of Tibet
The Abbot Tsong Khapa, founder of the Gelug Order
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)
China
Gilt bronze
The Avery Brundage Collection
B60 B145
Would you spend money on a portrait of your teacher?
The Tibetans have a long history of making portraits of living or deceased Lamas, or individuals who were
great religious teachers. These include Buddha Shakyamuni, as well as his followers, and important Lamas
and practitioners. These images are often commissioned by the followers of the pictured Lama. In Tibet,
as in many other Buddhist countries, the lineage from teacher to student is sacred—the students are
empowered with the special knowledge of the teacher and may go on to be teachers themselves. They hold
their teacher in the highest respect and will worship the teacher’s memory after their death. Living lamas
are portrayed seated on a cushion, whereas those who are not living are portrayed seated on lotus thrones
to indicate their transcendence of the world and their entrance into a pure realm. The type of hat they
are shown wearing often identifies the lineage they belong to, but the identities of most lama portraits are
unknown. This piece is an exception. Since Tsongkhapa was so famous, his iconography, such as his hand
gesture, book and sword attributes, and hat) makes him easy to identify.
46
Asian Art Museum