Tsang Nyön Heruka (1452-1507) – The “Madman of Tsang”
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Chapel
Orientation 2
Furniture 2

ABS 311
Code: ABS 311
Country: Tibet
Style:
Date: 1500 - 1600
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 17.2 x 26 x 13.3
Materials: Gilt copper
Tsang Nyön Heruka (1452-1507) – The “Madman of Tsang”
Of powerful and massive build, Tsang Nyön Heruka, the “Madman of Tsang”, appears here as a naked yogi, “adorned with bone ornaments,” which is the literal translation of one of his epithets. Pot-bellied and wearing only a loincloth, he is seated in the attitude of royal ease on an antelope skin placed upon a lotus seat. In addition to his moustache and goatee, he wears his long hair braided into an intricate topknot. With a dynamic gesture, he brandishes a diamond sceptre towards heaven with his right hand, while cradling a scull cup in his left. His wide-open eyes cast an intense and fearless gaze, characteristic of mad yogis. A long inscription on the back of the base states that the work was made according to the wishes of Götsang Repa (1482-1559), who was a direct disciple, which is an indication that it was produced very close to the life of the master.
A major practitioner of the Kagyü school, Tsang Nyön is the author of the most famous hagiography of the saint and poet Milarepa (1040-1123), The Life and The Hundred Thousand Songs, which are considered to be true masterpieces and are one of the greatest successes of Tibetan literature.
Of powerful and massive build, Tsang Nyön Heruka, the “Madman of Tsang”, appears here as a naked yogi, “adorned with bone ornaments,” which is the literal translation of one of his epithets. Pot-bellied and wearing only a loincloth, he is seated in the attitude of royal ease on an antelope skin placed upon a lotus seat. In addition to his moustache and goatee, he wears his long hair braided into an intricate topknot. With a dynamic gesture, he brandishes a diamond sceptre towards heaven with his right hand, while cradling a scull cup in his left. His wide-open eyes cast an intense and fearless gaze, characteristic of mad yogis. A long inscription on the back of the base states that the work was made according to the wishes of Götsang Repa (1482-1559), who was a direct disciple, which is an indication that it was produced very close to the life of the master.
A major practitioner of the Kagyü school, Tsang Nyön is the author of the most famous hagiography of the saint and poet Milarepa (1040-1123), The Life and The Hundred Thousand Songs, which are considered to be true masterpieces and are one of the greatest successes of Tibetan literature.