A SINO-TIBETAN MINIATURE BRONZE OF TSONGKHAPA, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
BronzeTibet, 18th to 19th centuryTsonkhapa lived during the 14th and 15th centuries and became famous for his reformatory activities. He founded his first monastery, the well-known Ganden Monastery, in 1409. The monks belonging to his school were called Gelugpa, the “virtuous” or “chaste”, as Tsongkhapa was a staunch puritan. In depictions he shows the same attributes as the bodhisattva Manjushri – sword on the left, the prajnaparamita book with flaming pearl on the right, each in front of lotus blossoms. His hands usually show the dharmachakra mudra, but one hand is missing from this bronze. Remnants of gilding.Dimensions: HEIGHT 3.95 CMCondition: Good conditionProvenance: Galerie Zacke archive; previously in a German private collection and acquired between 1970 and 1980.