Tibet
17th century
Tibet
17th century
On loan from Dr. Tanpa Thondup and Family.
The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617–1682), was the first theocratic ruler who unified Tibet with Mongolian military support. He was considered an embodiment of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion and the patron deity of Tibet. Avalokiteshvara is also associated with Songtsen Gampo (r. 617–650), the first of the Buddhist rulers of the Tibetan Empire. The Fifth Dalai Lama consolidated religious and political power through the construction of monasteries, government taxation, strengthening diplomatic connections, and systematization of knowledge including medicine and the arts.
This finely carved sculpture portrays him in a typical manner, with the right hand holding the stem of a lotus that blossoms above his shoulder and the left hand at his lap, which usually holds a bowl with a long-life vase but is now missing.
Today, Tibetans primarily inhabit the Tibetan Plateau, situated between the Himalayan mountain range and the Indian subcontinent to the west, Chinese cultural regions to the east, and Mongolian cultural regions to the northeast. During the 7th to 9th century, Tibetan rulers expanded their empire across Central Asia, and established Buddhism as the state religion.
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