Page 42 - Christies May 2016

ANOTHER PROPERTY

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A SILK EMBROIDERED THANGKA DEPICTING THE PANCHEN LAMA ENSAPA
LOBSANG DONDRUP
19TH CENTURY

The Panchen Lama is shown seated on a mat, wearing monastic robes and a pandita hat, with his right
hand pointing downwards to four followers and his left hand holding a string of prayer beads. The upper
register displays Chokyi Dorje in a rainbow circle to the left and Mahachakra Vajrapani to the right. Yama
Dharmaraja is depicted to the lower right side, all within a mountainous landscape. The thangka is set
within a brocade mount.
16º in. (41.3 cm) wide x 27 in. (68.6 cm.) high

£40,000-60,000 $57,000-84,000
€51,000-76,000

This fnely embroidered thangka belongs to a larger series depicting the lineage of Panchen Lamas, who
are the principle lamas of the Tashi Lunpo monastery in Shigatse. The Panchen Lama belongs to the
Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and is seen as second in religious line to the Dalai Lama. Ensapa
Lobsang Döndrup (1505-1564) was posthumously given the title of Panchen Lama around 1641, after his
recognised reincarnation, Lobzang Chokyi (1570-1662) was nominated as Panchen Lama by the Fifth
Dalai Lama.

Compare the current thangka to a very similar example, also depicting Lobsang Dondrup, in the
collection of the Rubin Museum, New York, illustrated by Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 267.

A silk embroidered thangka depicting Lobzang Palden Yeshe, with similar brocade mounting to the
present example sold at Christie’s, Paris, 9 June 2015, lot 346.

清十九世紀 刺繡班禪喇嘛坐像唐卡

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