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A COPPER INLAID COPPER ALLOY PORTRAIT OF LOWO KHENCHEN SONAM LHUNDRUP
TIBET, 16TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 1847
17 1/2 in. (44.5 cm) high

$400,000 - 600,000

西藏 十六世紀 錯紅銅羅俄堪千索南倫珠銅像

The foot of the base with a lengthy dedicatory inscription composed in three rows of Tibetan script:
// na mo gu ru we/ phun tshogs bod nams rin chen Ihun gyis grub// dge legs dam pa’i chos kyi ‘byung
gnas che// rgyal ba ‘i mtshan dpe du mas brjid pa’¡ dpal// bzang po’¡ mdzad pas rag tu byin gyis
brlobs// ma[m] ga la [m]//

// de Ita bu’i rje btsun dam pa chos kyi rje mkhyen rabs[?] dang thugs rje’i bdag nyid can khyed
kyi zhabs pad dri ma med pa la bag bsod nams rgya mtsho gus par phyag “tshal zhing skyabs su
‘chi’oB)/ myur du phyag rgya chen po mchog gi dngos grub thob pa dang de ma thob kyi/ the rabs
thams cad du yongs ‘dzin dam pa khyed kyi ji Itar bzhed pa’ lam gyi rjes su ‘jug cing bud dang gshin
rje’i ‘jigs pa las grol nas lam gyi bar du bcod[*] pa thams cad zhi ba dang/ chos dang mthun pa’i bsam
pa thams cad yid bzhin du ‘grub par mdzad du gsol//;

Translated:
“Namo gurune! He whose precious merits (sönam) are accomplished spontaneously (Ihündrup),
Is the great source (jungne) of excellent doctrine and virtuous goodness (lekpé). He whose glory is
resplendent with the many auspicious marks of the Victorious One, Continually bestows his blessings
through acts of excellence. Mangalam!”

“In this way, the venerable and most excellent Dharma Lord is the one who possesses wisdom and
the nature of compassion. I, Sönam Gyatso, prostrate myself with respect and take refuge at your
immaculate lotus feet. May I quickly attain supreme enlightenment! But if I don’t, may I follow in your
footsteps as per your wishes, most excellent teacher,* throughout my life! And after liberating me from
the fear of Mara and the Lord of Death, and pacifying all the obstacles along the way, I beseech you to
fulfil all my intentions and desires in harmony with the Dharma!”

Provenance
Acquired by 2010

This magnificent bronze is one the largest-known depictions of ‘the Great Abbot’, Lowo Khenchen
Sonam Lhundrup (c. 1456-1532), who was a prominent lama within the Sakya school of Tibetan
Buddhism. Aside from a hairstyle comprising a soft widow’s peak and sharpened outlines along
his temple, Sonam Lhundrup can be identified by the sword and clothbound sutra blooming by
his shoulders, both of which are attributes associated with Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom.
However, in contrast with other portrait images which typically depict him holding the flaming triple
gem (triratna), Sonam Lhundrup is portrayed here motioning his hands to turn the ‘Wheel of Law’
(dharmachakrapavartina mudra) in emphasis of his accomplishments as a renowned teacher and
scholar.

Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrup was a prince from the ruling house of Lo (or Mustang), which
was once a wealthy, semi-independent kingdom in control of an important route connecting the
Tibetan plateau and the northern Indian plains. Whereas his brothers were raised to become the
future rulers of Lo, Sonam Lhundrup was destined to become a Buddhist monk. He lived during the
Ganden Renaissance, of which the Sakya were foremost contributors to Tibet’s golden age of artistic,
literary, and spiritual achievement during the 15th and 16th centuries (Thurman & Rhie, Worlds of
Transformation, 1999, pp. 31-2). At age one, Sonam Lhundrup received his first empowerment and
transmission teachings from Jamyang Sherab Gyatso (1396-1474), the third abbot of Ngor monastery.
By age twenty-two, he received full ordinations from the fourth abbot of Ngor, Kunga Wangchuk (1424-
78), and was subsequently appointed as abbot of Lo’s royal monastery, Thubten Dargye Ling.

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74 | BONHAMS