Teacher Tsongkapa (1357-1419)

This sculpture depicts the founding teacher of Gelug 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.