The Teacher Namgyal Dragpa Zangpo
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
The richly brocaded robe and elaborate headdress of this lama, or revered teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, proclaim his high status. Indeed, the inscription on the base identifies him as Namgyal Dragpa Zangpo, a great scholar of the Kalachakra Tantra who lived in the 14th-15th century. Known from a range of Tibetan historical sources, Namgyal Dragpa Zangpo came from a prominent family and rose to a high office within the Kagyu monastic tradition. In this idealized portrait, probably made after his death, the prayer beads he holds emphasizes his religious knowledge.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Ian Alsop, New York and Santa Fe; purchased by John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, October 1970; given to Walters Art Museum, 2014.
Exhibitions
2012 | The Place of Provenance. Rubin Museum of Art, New York. |
2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Conservation
Date | Description | Narrative |
---|---|---|
Examination | Examined for loan. |
Geographies
Tibet (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 5 1/2 x W: 4 7/16 x D: 3 1/4 in. (13.97 x 11.27 x 8.26 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2014
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.3096