Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Teacher (Lama) - (unidentified, male, monastic)

བླ་མ། 喇嘛
(item no. 69420)
Origin Location Bhutan
Date Range 1800 - 1899
Lineages Kagyu
Size 66.04x51.44cm (26x20.25in)
Material Ground Mineral Pigment on Cotton
Collection Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Catalogue # B62D34
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Person

Appearance: Monastic

Gender: Male

Interpretation / Description

Teacher, Drugpa Kagyu Teacher of Bhutan. This textile applique is likely from a much larger set of paintings depicting a lineage of teachers for a particular tradition or religious institution such as a monastery or temple. The hat is distinctive of Bhutan along with the colour palette and the attention to details in the portrait like face.

At the top center is a very small figure of Vajrasattva, white in colour, holding a vajra to the heart with the right hand and an upturned bell at the waist with the left hand.

Jeff Watt 6-2009

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