A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF A KAGYU HIERARCH, "URIWA"
TIBET, 13TH/14TH CENTURY A Tibetan inscription at the back of the base. 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in.) high
注脚
銅鎏金噶舉喇嘛像西藏 十三/十四世紀 Tibetan inscription ??? ?????????????????????Transliteration [1] § | | __________bla ma chos [r]je u ri ba | __ missing letters [ ] emendation Translation (...) the lama [and] Dharma lord Uriwa.1 1The name Uriwa likely designates the place of provenance of this master. As such, "The Lama from Uri" can be tentatively identified as the Drukpa master Lorepa Wangchuk Tsondru (lo ras pa dbang phyug brtson 'grus; 1187–1250) who founded the monastery of Uri (dbu ri) in 1234. For that reason, he was sometimes called Uripa (dbu ri pa); the ending letter /pa/ and /ba/ often being interchangeable. Himalayan Art Resources item no.16837 treasuryoflives.org biography no.6671 BDRC Resource ID P4252 See a similar portrait of a Kagyu lama sold at Bonhams, New York, 14 March 2017, lot 3234. Provenance Nagel, Stuttgart, 5 November 2011, lot 684