Unidentified Tibetan monastic master

This imposing statue, made of assembled sheets of embossed gilt copper, represents an elderly Tibetan teacher with distinct individual features. Clad in the triple monastic garment, he sits legs crossed in meditation, his right hand performing the argumentation gesture and his left resting on his lap in contemplation. The unusual large size of the statue points towards an important religious figure and a wealthy and powerful commissioner.

The artist(s) paid great attention to the details of his facial features as well as to the various parts of his garment. Nonetheless, despite all these elements, the identity of the subject remains mysterious, the iconography being too common to designate a specific historical character, and the statue being unfortunately devoid of any inscription. Due to the age of the master on the portrait, one could imagine the statue was made at the end of his life or shortly after his death.