A gilt bronze figure of Tsongkapa, Tibeto-chinese, 18th/19th Century.
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Depicted seated in dhyanasana on a double lotus base with both hands raised in dharmacakra mudra holding the lotus stems, wearing robes finely incised with flower head borders, his peaked cap with lappets resting on the shoulders. Flanked by two lotus stems supporting the attributes the Sword of Knowledge and the Book of Wisdom. Height 17 cm.
Possibly later base placque.
Provenance
From the Collection of Ion and Anna Dufva, Strandvägen 5a, Stockholm, thence by descent within the family. (Ion was the son of A.G. Dufva). The figure was purchased by the couple from the Swedish Geologist and Professor Erik Nyström (1879-1963). Nyström arrived in Shanghai in 1902 and came to live in China for a long time. He was a teacher at the Shanxi University, he led expeditions in China to support Swedish missionaries 1911-12. He worked as an interpreter in 1912 when Throild Wulff were sent by Röhsska Museet to acquire Chinese Works of Art. In 1913 he took the initiative that led to Johan Gunnar Anderssons coming to China.
More information
Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) is a revered Tibetan religious philosopher, and a central figure of the Gelugpa sect that ruled Tibet until the middle of the 20th century. According to tradition, he is an emanation of the Bodhisattva Manjushri. The attributes supported by the blossoms at his shoulder, the flaming sword that cuts through ignorance and the book of wisdrom, are also those of Manjushri.
