Minneapolis Institute of Art

Thangka of Hierarchs of the Sakya Lineage, one of a pair

TibetLinkedCulture matchlcp-62b37825a9bc

Date

late 17th century

Medium

Stone-ground pigments and gold on sized linen

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Object ID

12995

This finely preserved and colorful thangka is likely from a larger set that depicted important lamas (teachers) of the Sakya (“red hat”) lineage. In such portrayals, one or two lamas are usually represented as large figures in the center surrounded by smaller depictions of monks of lesser repute. Here, the two large figures are Ketsum Chenpo Namko Legpa and Palden Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen. Tibetan artists adopted the Chinese tradition of depicting Buddhist holy men in a landscape setting. This practice reached its height in the 17th century, with blue-green hills, strange rock formations, and extravagant, colorful flowers suggesting a gemlike otherworld. Asia

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.