A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF TSONGKHAPA, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY | 清十八世紀 鎏金銅宗喀巴坐像

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. See a smaller example dated to the Qianlong period, sold in our New York rooms, 19th March 2013, lot 352.