Portrait of the Third Kagyu Taklung Abbot, Sangye Yarjon
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.A distinctive painting style, seen in small, sumptuous, and detailed monastic portraits, emerged at the Taklung monastery. In this refined example, the facial features and neck folds of the Taklung abbot Sangye Yarjon (1203–1272) relate to early Tibetan wall painting from the end of the twelfth century. His hands and feet are dyed red with henna like those of a deity; his right hand makes the earth-touching gesture of enlightenment. An inscription in gold on the verso by his student Lama Rinpoche Wonpo (1251–1296), who was forced out of Taklung and founded the Riwoche monastery in 1276, helps contextualize the portrait within this period of monastic transition.
Artwork Details
- Title: Portrait of the Third Kagyu Taklung Abbot, Sangye Yarjon
- Date: ca. 1262–63
- Culture: Central Tibet
- Medium: Distemper and gold on cloth
- Dimensions: Overall: 12 3/4 x 10 in. (32.4 x 25.4 cm)
Overall with mounting: 26 x 13 (66 x 33 cm)
Framed (estimated, not currently framed): Wt. 19 lbs. (8.6 kg) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by The Kronos Collections
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art