Unidentified Tibetan monastic master
  See it in the Museum
Chapel
Orientation 1
Plinth 3

ABS 185

 Code: ABS 185

  Country: Tibet

  Style:

  Date: 1450 - 1550

  Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 86 x 95 x 65

  Materials: Assembled from several embossed sheets copper

Portrait of an unidentified great teacher - the size of the statue reflecting the high esteem 

This large statue represents an unidentified elderly teacher with distinct individual features, which indicates that this work is a real portrait of a master who had reached at least an age of seventy years or more. It could be that this statue is a nga dra ma, (“it looks like me”), made during the subject’s lifetime or shortly after his death. Only in Tibet were nga dra ma commissioned. These potraits were made to reflect, not merely the physical, but also the spiritual qualities of the deceased master.