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25. Sönam Gyatso - The Third Dalai Lama, Tibet 2nd half 16th c. Bronze, cast in lost wax method, traces of cold gilding height 43 cm. |
An inscription on the upper rim of the lotus pedestal identifies the Dalai Lama Sönam Gyatso (1543-1588). The Dalai Lamas are considered to be reincarnations of the Bodhisattva Avalokitèsvara, the embodiment of enlightened compassion. Gendün Drup (1391-1474) was the first Dalai Lama, and Gendüm Gyatso (1475-1542) the second. The title was given by Altan Khan (1507-1582), ruler of the Mongols, to one of his spiritual advisers, Sönam Gyatso, who thus became the third Dalai Lama in 1578. The Mongol term ‘Dalai’ corresponds to the Tibetan ‘gyatsho’, the equivalent of Sanskrit ‘sagara’, all ‘ocean’. The third Dalai Lama, who received the monastic name ‘Sönam Gyatso’ was a tireless advocate of the Geluk school founded by Tsongkapa (see page 48) in the fifteenth century. The lama is as usual portrayed with the left hand in meditation and the right in the bhumisparsamudra, the attitude of calling the earth to witness the virtue of the Buddha Gautama Sakyamuni. Here he is represented without the customary tall yellow cap. He wears a sleeveless monastic jacket beneath a robe that falls from his left shoulder; the garment’s borders are finely beaded. The lama is seated in the diamond pose with his feet tucked underneath his robe, on a tall pedestal with a single row of lotus petals between beaded borders. The typical stylistic characteristics of central Tibetan sculptures of the sixteenth century are the shape of the lotus petals of the throne and the proportions of the hands. The fine consistent thinness of the bronze is an additional clue to the casting period. Important portraits of revered Lamas were often created during their lifetime and just after their death, when their popularity was at its height. The present lama can be dated to the second half of the sixteenth century. Although images of the third Dalai Lama are quite rare there are some published examples. This well-cast bronze is of a focused form and has impressive volume, contrasting with the finely delineated lines of the robe and facial features. The lama is portrayed here as a supreme teacher, revealing a strong individuality and expressing spiritual conviction at the highest level. He has an air of authority and happiness that one expects from images of the most important inspirational figures in Tibet. Provenance: Collection Family R. de Niet, Belgium. Art Loss Register Certificate, Reference S00004042. M. Brauen, The Dalai Lamas. A Visual History, Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zürich, Chicago, 2005, p.59, n°3. Tibet, The third Dalai Lama, 16th century, height 17 cm, Royal Museum of Art and History Brussels and p.54, n°29. Tibet, The third Dalai Lama, with scenes from his biography, Thangka, 2nd half of the 16th century, 123,2 x 93,3 cm, private collection. Tibet, Bronze, 16th century, H. 17cm, Coll. Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire Brussels, p.59, ill.33. |