Dr. Karl Debrekceny, Senior Curator of Rubin Museum of Art and Dr. Beth Harris, Smarthistory
Erster Zweiter Dritter On top of the gold surface, the artist has come back with a red pigment, and because there is no shading or landscape or other details, the quality of line stands really stands out here, the of the brush so you can see the thick it shows the skill with the surrounding figures that modulation of the brush, and you can see he lines thins and thickens are drapery curves and it shows off the artist’s skill with the brush.
Red ground paintings, or mar thang, are a special form associated with the Buddha Amithaba and his Lotus Family, which includes the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and his emanations. First, there’s an undercoat of yellow, and then there put gold over it, I think to emphasize the color.
If you look very closely, you’ll actually find that fine patterns are polished into the surface, and in the cushions that he sits upon you’ll see different textile patterns into the surface. In his robes you’ll see floral patterns. So this is a very elegant and subtly ornament work and this speaks to the spiritual and political importance of the Fifth Dalai Lama, who lived in the 17th century
Dalai Lamas
So Dalai Lamas are an important lineage of incarnate Lamas, or tulkus and basically all Buddhist believe in reincarnation, but the Tibetan harness this to create a system of succession, both religious and political and in the 13th century the system becomes codified, and in the 17th century the system of incarnate lamas becomes even more prominent. And the Fifth Dalai Lama declares himself an emanation of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva of compassion, the most popular deity in Tibet, considered the national deity, the protector of Tibet. Erster Zweiter Dritter
Fifth Dalai Lama
So you’ll see the Fifth Dalai Lama seated in the center, and he’s surrounded by the important member of his lineage. He is holding a lotus, the symbol of Avalokiteshvara, so that indicates that he is an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, sits directly above him, and?? he is holding a vase of long life which indicates that this painting was probably done in the Fifth Dalai Lama’s own lifetime. On his face he has a small moustache, which is associated with the physical appearance of the Fifth Dalai Lama.
So even within this very idealized portrait as an emanation, there are still personal details of his appearance.
This figure is formed by these curving, delicate lines that so perfectly describe this drapery that flows around him.
On top of the gold surface, the artist has come back with a red pigment, and because there is no shading or landscape or other details, the quality of line stands really stands out here, the of the brush so you can see the thick it shows the skill with the surrounding figures that modulation of the brush, and you can see he lines thins and thickens are drapery curves and it shows off the artist’s skill with the brush.
Surrounding him are figures that speak to the legitimacy of his political power and also his religious authority.
Songsten Gampo
To Avalokiteshvara’s left, you see the founder of the Tibetan Empire, who is also considered an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, and you can see this indicated by the tiny Buddha head peeking out of his turban
This is one of the reasons that the selection of Avalokiteshvara was so important, because then in put the Fifth Dalai Lama in the direct incarnation lineage of the founder of the Tibetan Empire, and therefore his legitimate successor.
Dromton
And on the other side we have another figure sitting on what looks like a lotus
That is Dromton, the founder of the Kadampa School, and he is indicated also as an emanation of Avalokiteshvara by the lotus he holds. And his tradition was very important in the second transmission of Buddhism to Tibet after the collapss of the Tibeta Empire, and so the Fifth Dalai Lama is declaring his religious and spiritual lineage by directly associating himself withdrawn with Dromton and the Kadampas.
And we see more figures with halos
| First Dalai Lama | Second Dalai Lama | Third Dalai Lama |
To the left of the Fifth Dalai Lama’s head you see the First Dalai Lama; to his right the Second Dala Lama, and then to the lower left, the Third Dalai Lama, who is in fact the first historical figure to be called Dalai Lama, the title bestowed upon him by the Mongol Altan Khan. Especially interesting then on the lower right, you see the fouth Dalai Lama, who is found in the grandson of Altan Khan, and this cements Mongolian interest in the Gelugpa tradition to which the Dalai Lamas belong.
Jambhala
At the bottom center, we see a Figure who is surrounded by gems and offerings.
And this is the wealth deity Jambhala, surrounded by abstract forms of the seven jewels of the Universal Ruler, which include things like rhinoceros’s horns, elephant tusks, the round earrings of the queen, the square earrings of the minister and so on.
So this is both a traditional set offering, but there is also association with the concept of the Universal ruler, which the Fifth Dala Lama was promoting.
Fifth Dalai Lama
Now the Fifth Dala Lama we know was a very learned man. He authored many religious and historical texts, and was very interested in promoting an image of himself.
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So the Fifth Dala Lama was very cognizant of the power of images, and was heavily involved in image production as well as the codification of knowledge more broadly. So the Fifth Dala Lama wrote a history of Tibet just one year after he becomes to power. In this he depicts the Tibet Empire as a golden age, where the series of religious kings are actually Bodhisattvas incarnate who convert Tibet to Buddhism, and he positions himself as the reincarnation of one of those religious kings. So the message in this painting is the key to his political message where he is conflating himself as the first Tibetan emperor and positioning himself as the rightful inheritor of the Tibetan empire.