Skip to main content
Tsongkhapa (1357-1419)
OriginTibet
Date16th century
Dimensions6 1/4 × 6 × 5 13/16 in.
MediumSilver, copper, and enamel with semiprecious stones and pigments
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art, Gift of the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation
Object numberF1997.31.19
Himalayan Art Resources Number700019
Project Himalayan Arthttps://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/exhibition/symbols-and-meanings/humans/teachers/tsongkapa-1357-1419/
DescriptionThis sculpture depicts the founding teacher of Geluk Tibetan Buddhist tradition according to descriptions given in biographies written close to the master’s lifetime. He was said to have a large head, round face with wide forehead, a V-shaped hairline, and a prominent nose. His usual attributes are his monastic robes, hands held at the heart, and a sword and a book resting on lotuses above his shoulders. He is also often depicted wearing a yellow hat, which sometimes is an added miniature textile hat placed on the head of a sculpture.Not on view
18th century
18th century
mid-14th to mid-15th century
19th century
19th century
19th century
20th century
15th century
15th century
15th century
18th century